A Sirius Proposal
by mrs.labyrinth
Summary: Sirius has just come home after 6th year and is looking forward to turning 17 and leaving his family behind. Unfortunately, his life will still not be his own because his parents decided to arrange his marriage. Slash! SBSS/SSSB
1. Chapter 1

It was just another ordinary summer day for Sirius Black. His parents and brother seemed intent on ignoring him and Kreacher, the house elf, found pleasure muttering obscenities at him under his breath. He had come home to a dark house and unloving family after an eventful sixth year spent with friends who really cared about him. With no one to talk to, Sirius locked himself in his room after breakfast, and then realized he had nothing to do besides homework and writing letters to his friends.

_How pathetic_, he thought bitterly, _it's only my first day back and I'm already miserable._ Deciding not to show how miserable he truly was, he decided to hold off on letter writing and chose to start his homework. Opening his transfiguration textbook with a sigh, he plopped himself into his chair and began to read.

He had been staring at the same page for roughly half an hour when a knock at the door startled him and his father's voice came through the door. "Sirius, can you come downstairs for a moment? Your mother and I wish to speak with you."

"Be down in a minute!" Sirius called. Why couldn't his father just speak to him like…well, like a father? _Only a few more months left_, he thought, _and then I can get out of here_.

In less than five months Sirius would be seventeen. He could move out of his parents' house, get a job, and follow his own desires without his family getting in the way. He would be free to become an auror, or professional Quidditch player, or anything else he chose. His parents had had his life planned since he was born, but after being sorted into Gryffindor they had given up on him.

Sirius had no idea what he was going to do after he graduated and was free of his family, but he did know that his options were unlimited. Despite what other people thought, he had managed to make all O's and E's on his OWLs and was doing rather well in the classes he chose to continue with.

Part of him wanted to become an auror, but the more logical part of him knew it was only to get back at his parents for all the dark magic they imposed on him as a child. He did know that he wanted to travel the world experiencing things no other pureblood would dream of. "Aha!" Sirius exclaimed. _I can start thinking about my plans after Hogwarts this summer. It would definitely be more fun than studying._ He then remembered that he had to meet his parents and rushed downstairs.

The moment Sirius entered the parlor he knew that whatever was about to happen did not bode well for him. The heavy curtains only allowed a small amount of light to enter the room, making him feel as if he were entering the shrieking shack. The many portraits on the walls followed him with their eyes, whispering to each other words Sirius could not make out. His parents were seated on the loveseat facing away from the window, and an armchair had been pulled up in front of them for Sirius to sit in.

"Oh yeah, this is definitely not good," Sirius muttered.

"What was that boy?" his father barked. "Nothing father, just wondering why you wanted to speak with me," he replied, putting on a dazzling smile that he knew would have no effect.

"Well sit down then. Your mother and I have some very important news for you."

Sirius did as he was told, then looked between his parents. Their facial features were schooled to look very matter-of-fact, but there was a sparkle of glee in their eyes. "Did someone die?" he blurted out. His parents looked befuddled.

"Why on earth would you think that?" his mother asked.

"I…never mind." Sirius replied. "Could you please tell me what's so important now?"

"Watch your tone boy," said his father, "and speak like a pureblood of standing. Not some common filth like the muggle-lovers that run that school of yours."

His mother interjected with a sharp look, "We are expecting guests tonight," she explained. "The Snape family will be coming here for dinner, and we want you to be on your best behavior." Seeing Sirius about to protest she went on, "There have been far too many letters sent home about your actions towards him. All of that ends, starting now."

Sirius was fuming. How could they tell him how to act around that greasy, slimy, pathetic excuse for a human being? They had never bothered to ask him for his side of the story when receiving those letters, just assumed it had been his fault. "Yes mother," he said through gritted teeth.

"Good, now go upstairs and get ready."

"But I thought you said they were coming for dinner! It's just past breakfast time!"

"They will be staying here for dinner, but we will all be going out for lunch together. So go upstairs and make sure you look presentable."

"Yes mother." Sirius slunk out of the room, still angry. _Since when do my parents hang out with the Snapes? And why do we have to spend most of the _whole_ day with them?_ Taking a deep breath, he decided that he could pretend to be civil for one day and marched up the stairs to get ready.

Twenty minutes later he was waiting downstairs, realizing that his parents never told him what time to be ready by. Throwing on a green robe and brushing his hair had only taken him about five minutes, and he had spent the next fifteen trying not to wrinkle his clothes. _Not that it matters_. _It's not like Snivellus has even bathed recently._ Smirking to himself, he threw himself on the couch, clothes be damned.

"Sirius Orion Black!" his mother screeched. "I thought I told you to look presentable!"

"But-but-I am!" he stuttered. He turned around to see his mom in a sparkling blue dress robe with heavy jewelry. _Damn them. They didn't tell me this was a formal occasion. _

His mother sighed heavily. "I knew I couldn't count on you to dress properly. Kreacher!" The aged house elf appeared and gave her a deep bow. "Bring me the package that came in last week. The one for Sirius," she ordered. Kreacher was gone and back in less than ten seconds. Amazing, since whenever Sirius gave him an order he took at least half an hour.

"Here," Walburga shoved the package into his arms, "put that on and do something about your hair!"

Sirius took the package to his room and inspected its contents. Inside was a rather remarkable silver dress robe. It seemed to be made of pure silk, with silver crystals sewn into the collar and sleeves. It was probably the most gorgeous thing he would ever wear. Meaning that this meeting with the Snapes was of paramount importance. "That's it!" he cried out. _This is some sort of business deal. Thank Merlin; I wouldn't have survived if meeting the Snapes became a regular occurrence._

He carefully slipped the robes over his head and examined himself in the mirror. He looked stunning. As much as he hated complimenting his parents, his mother had excellent taste. Deciding not to let the look go to waste, he pulled his long hair back into a ponytail and secured it with a silver ribbon. He wished he had better shoes, but the ones he had on would have to do. Maybe if he got lucky there would be a dance at Hogwarts and he could show these robes to people who would actually appreciate it.

Walking downstairs was a challenge. The robes were a bit longer than he was used to, and he didn't want to get even a speck of dirt on them. The rest of his family was already waiting downstairs, and saw him lifting the hem of his robes up to avoid getting them dirty.

"For goodness sake, can't you do anything right?" his mother exclaimed. She then brought out another package, this one containing brand new dress shoes.

"Thank you mother," Sirius said in the dullest voice he could manage. He didn't want his parents to know he actually liked something they'd given him. The rest of his family—all decked out in their best attire—watched him pull on his new shoes and take a few test steps in them. They fit perfectly.

"Are you ready, your highness?" Regulus asked sarcastically. He wore green robes as formal as the ones Sirius wore, though not as nice. This would be the first time Sirius got something nicer than his brother.

"Don't start you two, we need to be going," his father said. _Wow, they aren't encouraging Regulus' mockery. Who are these people and what have they done with my parents?_

"We're going to the Hillsland Club in Essex; make sure you don't fall out of the floo this time Regulus." _Is my mother is actually patronizing Regulus? These definitely aren't my parents!_

One by one they shuffled into the fireplace. Sirius was the last to enter and therefore the last to arrive. His parents were already talking to the maître d' and his brother was sulking a few steps behind him. Since his family really hadn't been all that horrible today, he decided to attempt to help them look like the perfect purebloods they desperately wished they were.

"So…Reggie. Any idea why we're dressed for a wedding?" he asked. His brother snorted and rolled his eyes.

"You mean they haven't told you? I thought that was what your little meeting today was all about."

"I know we're meeting the Snapes! I just don't get why we have to get all dressed up for a family that doesn't even shower on a regular basis."

"Shut up you idiot, before you embarrass yourself and, more importantly, us. You really have no idea why we're here do you?"

"Alright Reggie, I'll play. Why exactly are we meeting the Snapes?"

"As much as I'd love to tell you, I think I'll wait for the adults to continue with their plan. Don't worry; I'll make sure to photograph the look on your face when you do find out."

"You're lucky we're in a public place, you slimy little snake. When we get home I'm gonna—"

"Sirius, Regulus! This way!" their father called out. Sirius looked up to see his parents and the maître d' waiting for them about ten feet away. He gave Regulus one last glare, then followed the others into the dining area.

The Snape family hadn't yet arrived. Apparently the meeting wasn't supposed to start for another thirty minutes. Ten minutes later, after the Black parents had taken to asking the children about their year at school, Sirius was wishing he could experience spontaneous combustion. Just then his parents stopped talking and began to stand. _Sweet Merlin, my wish came true,_ he thought,_ I didn't mean it! I want to live till I'm a hundred! Or at least not die surrounded by people I hate._

"Vito, how good to see you again!" his father greeted. "And Eileen, I swear you look lovelier with each passing day." _Oh thank God, it's just the Snapes. Oh wait; that isn't a good thing either!_

Sirius and Regulus stood to greet the new family, who were fifteen minutes early themselves. "Sirius, Regulus, I would like you to meet Vito and Eileen Snape."

Vito was a tall man, a really, really tall man, with long black hair and a goatee. The next thing Sirius noticed about him were his eyes, they seemed to change colors every time he blinked. One moment they were green, the next blue, and then a hint of violet came through. Eileen was, as Orion had exclaimed, a lovely woman. She had silky black curls that went down past her shoulder, big green eyes, and was in great shape for a woman who had given birth.

Sirius greeted the two and then looked past them to the four other people he had not been introduced to. There were two boys, both almost as tall as their father, and two girls. All of them had lustrous black hair and green or blue eyes, except for one of the boys, who had obviously inherited Vito's unique eye color.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you," Vito announced. Sirius noted that he had a strong accent, it sounded like the man was from Spain or Italy. Vito shook Sirius' hand warmly and patted him on the back. If Sirius hadn't known that pureblood Slytherins were good at hiding their true personalities, he would have thought the man was Mr. Congeniality.

"How do you do?" Eileen asked politely as Sirius, then Regulus, lightly kissed her hand. "I'm sure you have met some of my children from Hogwarts," she gestured to the four people standing behind her. _I didn't know Snivellus had any siblings_, Sirius mused.

"This is Francesco, our eldest," Vito exclaimed proudly. "Graziella is our second born, she's only two years older than you, Sirius, and Julia is our youngest. She's set to start Hogwarts this year. And I believe you've met Severus."

Sirius' jaw almost hit the floor. Even though he knew one of these children had to be Sev-no Snivellus, he had hardly expected it to be the good-looking son with the mysterious eyes. Looking more closely, he could see the bone structure and other physical attributes that proved it was Sever-Snivellus. However, gone were the greasy locks, obsidian eyes, and everything else that made the other boy undesirable to be around. Not that Sirius planned to be around him much.

"Nice to see you again," Sirius muttered under his breath, while Regulus gave the other Snape children more proper greetings.

"The _pleasure_ is all mine," Severus mumbled, the look on his face making it very clear that he would rather be with anyone else.

"Now children, let's all get along!" Vito scolded. "If all works out, we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

"Don't spoil the announcement Vito," Sirius' mother said, "let's all just have a nice luncheon, we can speak more of the arrangement at our home."

Before Sirius could ask what arrangement they were discussing, or why it was to remain a secret, the waiters appeared with the menus and everyone grabbed a seat. To Sirius' disgust, he was seated next to Severus.

The next few hours were long and painful. Neither Sirius nor Severus said much, but their parents kept up a lively conversation while stealing glances at the pair. _I already promised not to start a fight, _Sirius thought, _there's no need for the constant supervision._

About two hours and six courses later the two families were ready to head over to the Black family home. They lined up in front of the floo: Orion and Walburga followed by Vito and Eileen, then Francesco and Graziella, Regulus, Julia, Sirius, and Severus. Just as Walburga was about to enter, she swatted Sirius on the back of his head.

"Let Severus go first!" she hissed, to the amusement of everyone else present.

_Now that's more like my mother,_ Sirius thought. He grudgingly switched places with Severus, and stepped into the fireplace a few minutes later. _Hopefully I'll be able escape everyone._

Unfortunately, thinking and using the floo at the same time was not a strong point for Sirius. So when he attempted to step out into the living room of Grimmauld Place, he ended up in a heap on the floor. Glancing up, he could see his father looking angry, his mother looking exasperated, and Vito and Eileen looking amused. He also noticed a very nice pair of legs right in front of him, which were connected to a _very_ nice ass, which was connected to—oh bugger.

Severus Snape was standing right over him.

"Sirius, get up off the floor and take everyone to your room. We have matters to discuss in the parlor, so don't disturb us." His mother instructed.

_Great, now he'll find out where I sleep._

After untangling his robes and making sure they he still looked impeccable, Sirius gestured with his head and led the group of teens to his room. He could only imagine what havoc the others would cause once they got upstairs.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hey everyone! First of all, I kind of forgot to include the disclaimer in the last chapter, so I just want to make it clear that I am not JKR and unfortunately never will be. I feel I need to clarify that this is way off canon, just so you know what you're getting into.

And last but definitely not least, I want to give lots of love to all the people who read the last chapter and added it to their favorite stories list. You guys made my day!

Chapter Two

Sirius sat on his bed, absentmindedly playing with the corner of his duvet cover. Regulus and the Snape children were sitting in various places around the room, but no one had said a word in the past five minutes. Sirius observed the kids in more detail. During lunch he had found out that Francesco was twenty-one and attending Bedford University. What he didn't know was if Francesco was actually smart enough to get into the Ivy League of wizarding universities or if Vito had bought him a spot.

After spending the past few hours with the group it had become easier to tell them apart. Vito was the tallest of the three males, followed by Severus and then Francesco. Francesco seemed to be growing his hair out to rival that of his father's, while Severus opted for a more cleanly cut-though still long-look. Besides the basic physical differences, Severus was also the best looking of the family and also had the best body—not that Sirius had been observing him _that _closely.

"So…aaawkwaard…" Regulus sang, acting like the immature child he was. It seemed to break the spell though, for Francesco and Graziella both began to snicker.

"So Sirius," Francesco asked, "what do you want to do after Hogwarts?"

"I'm not really sure yet," he said, _though I really wish I knew_. "I was leaning towards being an auror or maybe an unspeakable…" _there's no way I'm telling them I might want to play professional Quidditch._

Severus snorted, very loudly, which drew everyone's attention to him.

"What?" he asked.

_Jeez. Someone's defensive._

"I don't think that counts as getting along," Julia noted. She had a rather nice voice. It sounded sweet and innocent, and like everything else a child should sound like. Sirius decided she wasn't that bad. If he had to spend more time with the Snape family, it would be in the presence of the eleven-year old.

"Shu—Hush up Julia, you don't know what you're talking about," Severus told her, rather rudely in Sirius' opinion. "For one thing, you actually have to get good grades to have either one of those jobs, and being an unspeakable actually requires a brain."

_That actually stung._ "Well if you paid attention to what was going on around you, you'd know that I'm actually within the top ten percent of our class. And I don't think anyone without a brain could accomplish that."

"I like this guy!" Francesco announced. "Very few people can get Severus to shut up."

"And he isn't one of them," Severus rebutted. "It is extremely difficult to become an unspeakable if you don't graduate from a top college, and there is no way any decent school would pick up someone with no extracurricular activities besides Quidditch and no other experience. And even if Quidditch was a _real_ sport, it's not like he's very good at it."

"Well I better get ready for the Auror Academy then."

"You'd quit after a month."

"Wanna bet?"

"Alright _children_, you're both smart! Let's stop before I have to explain why you two killed each other to our parents," Graziella pleaded. She didn't look too upset about witnessing a fight though.

"Sirius couldn't kill Severus!" Julia exclaimed. She sized them up with her adorable green eyes. "Severus beats Francesco, Kingsley, and Lucius in fights all the time and they're all much bigger than Sirius."

Graziella, Francesco, and Regulus all roared with laughter whereas Sirius just raised his eyebrows. _I'm much stronger than Sever-Snivellus. He's in shape, but I don't see much muscle on him. Not that looking at him—again._

"How about you Blacks give us the grand tour?" Francesco asked. "From the looks of things, we're going to be spending a lot of time here."

"Why is that?" Sirius asked. "My parents won't say a thing."

"Well…"Francesco started.

"We're not supposed to tell you," Graziella whacked Francesco upside the head. "We found out by accident and were sworn to secrecy."

Sirius sighed. "Fine. I'll show you guys around the house."

Forty minutes later, when the group had made it to the third floor library, Kreacher appeared to tell them dinner was ready. They made their way to the formal dining room, laughing about the Hufflepuff keeper who seemed to be under a permanent befuddlement spell.

_I guess I was wrong about the Snapes,_ Sirius mused. _With the exception of Severus, they're all pretty normal, as normal as a Slytherin can get anyway._

"It's good to see the children getting along, isn't it dear?" Mrs. Black asked her husband.

"Of course Walburga, whatever you say," Sirius' father muttered. He was engrossed in a conversation with Vito while the two of them worked on signing papers and hurriedly putting them away.

"You can get that done later, the dining room is no place for official paperwork!" Eileen scolded, but with a smile in her eyes. Sirius supposed she would have made a better mother than his own, who only gave fake smiles.

"Yes, yes Eileen. We're just getting it all out of the way. Everything's set in stone now!" Orion responded. Vito clapped him on the back and the four adults shared a secret smile.

_I guess the business deal went through,_ Sirius thought._ I supposed seeing Francesco, Graziella, and Julia more often wouldn't be so bad._ _And maybe I can finally find out what the big secret is._

"Kreacher! Start serving the first course!" Walburga barked.

Ninety minutes and a bottle of champagne later, dinner was over with and everyone waited to be dismissed from the table.

_I can finally be free of all the extra snakes,_ thought Sirius,_ although if they stayed, I could show them my parents' art collection_.

"Francesco, Graziella, take Julia home and make sure the nanny gets her ready for bed," Eileen ordered.

"But I'm not tired!" the little one protested.

"You've had a long day honey, and we're probably not going to get home till much later so you should get a head start to dreamland," Eileen told her.

_She definitely would have been a good mother to me,_ Sirius decided.

"I'm not a baby! I can stay up late!"

"No Julia, you're going home. You don't have to go to sleep yet, just make sure you're ready for when you're tired."

"Fine!" Julia grumbled. The petulant look on her face remained as Francesco, Graziella, and Severus stood up to take their leave.

"Not you Severus," Vito instructed, "we need to discuss some things with you and Sirius."

_Oh shit!_ Sirius' mind began to race. _They know about the almost-fight we had in my room…and the second floor hallway, and in front of the collection of medieval weaponry._ _This is going to be so much worse than getting a detention._

Everyone rose from the table and made their goodbyes to the three that were leaving. Sirius' mother actually hugged the three Snape children before they entered the floo. _Someone's putting a lot of effort into this business relationship._

After the last embers of the floo died out, Regulus was instructed to go upstairs and 'do homework or correspond with friends.'

_They definitely know about the fights. Maybe if they realize we didn't actually do anything they'll let us off easy._

"Come into the parlor you two," Orion instructed, while taking out some of the papers he and Vito had been working on before.

_Maybe we're not in trouble. It's not likely, but they might want a Hogwarts' senior's perspective on some kind of business proposal. My father does make a living catering to the whims of customers._

Most people didn't know how the Black family had achieved their wealth; Sirius didn't even know the whole story and he was one. About seventy-five percent of it had been passed on to them by their ancestors, and with a family tree dating back to the time of the Hogwarts founders the money really piled up. In addition to that, Sirius' father worked as a social economist. He studied the behavioral patterns in the way people spent money and came up with ways for companies to appeal to consumers.

Sirius trailed behind the others, lost in his own world, but had to stop when he ran into Vito's back.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention-" he started, but Vito only laughed.

"Everything's alright, what is it they say? No blood, no foul?"

"Right…" Sirius was starting to wonder if the Snapes really were good people. Vito was giving him a big smile, one that reached his warm eyes and showed all of his gleaming teeth.

"Have a seat, Sirius," his mother instructed. She was gesturing towards the loveseat, where Severus sat. Sirius would have rather sat anywhere else in the room, but the four adults seemed to have anticipated this and took up as much space as possible on the armchairs and sofa.

With a sigh of resignation, Sirius made his way over to the love seat and plopped himself down. He was starting to think they were in trouble for fighting again.

"Sirius," Orion started, "as the heir to the Black family, you have a responsibility to do everything possible to continue the line and make sure the family prospers."

_I don't like where this is going,_ he decided.

"And Severus, you have the same responsibilities, even though Francesco is my official heir," Vito added. "Your mother and I…we would like to make sure you are able to carry out these duties, as well as ensure that you have someone to take care of you."

_This is definitely not going to be good._ Sirius felt Severus tense up on the seat beside him, even though they were sitting as far away from each other as they could possibly get.

"As your legal guardians," Orion told them, "we have come up with a contract between our families. We can all prosper from this, especially the two of you. This will ensure that our families continue, and that our wealth grows. We also feel that you will make each other happy."

_They cannot possibly mean what I think they mean._ "Wait!" Sirius interjected, "what exactly are you talking about?"

"Over the past few months," Orion explained, "Vito and I have come up with a marriage contract."

"No! There is no way that I will ever marry that-that-that-"

"Sirius!" Orion roared. "We know what we're doing, and you're going to have to go along with it whether you like it or not! Trust us, this is for the best."

"How can you say that? We hate each other! Do you not pay attention to all the letters Dumbledore sends home about me?"

"You just haven't learned to get along yet," Walburga said. "That's why you two will be spending a great amount of time together this summer, and over the course of the next year."

"Next year? You don't mean-"

"Yes, the wedding is to be next summer. June twentieth to be exact."

"You can't do this to me! I'll just be starting out in the world; I don't want to be married! I'll run away, or-"

"Enough, Sirius!" Orion shouted. "You will go through with this, and the law is on our side so there's nothing you can do about it. If you actually put an effort into this, you may find that the two of you have more in common than you think."

Sirius realized that _Snivellus_ and the elder Snapes had been rather quiet while this argument was taking place. He glanced over to see Severus looking more like the person he knew at school: pale, shaking with fury, and silently glaring at his parents. The three Snapes seemed to be having a silent argument, with Vito and Eileen giving Severus patronizing looks of their own.

"Orion, there has been enough excitement for the two of them tonight," Vito declared. "We'll take Severus home, and we can go into the details of the contract separately. I'll see you in a few days."

The Snape family got up to shake hands and hug Sirius' parents, and then Eileen and Vito made their way over the say goodbye to Sirius. Eileen drew him into a hug, and Vito clapped him on the shoulder. Severus, who had yet to say a word, stood near the fireplace and didn't even approach.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to your fiancé dear?" Eileen asked. This was the first time Sirius had seen her as anything but nice; she and Walburga were giving their sons the same pointed look.

"Bye," Severus mumbled. He was looking everywhere but Sirius' face and was still shaking and pale.

"A proper goodbye," Eileen scolded. She somehow managed to push Sirius and Severus together, causing Severus to stumble and Sirius to catch him as a gut reaction. Severus was thin, but not unhealthily so, and his body was as warm as it was fit.

Sirius caught himself thinking these thoughts and let go as soon as the other boy had managed to regain his balance.

"Bye," they both said at the same time, not looking at each other.

"I guess that's a start," Walburga observed. "Goodnight Severus, we'll see you in a couple of days."

Severus was the first to use the floo. If he could have apparated, he probably would have as soon as their engagement had been announced. Vito and Eileen gave one last goodbye before following him to the Snape home. For a few moments after they had departed silence hung in the air like a thick fog.

"Sirius," Orion stated, "you're reaction today was entirely unbecoming of a Black. Worse, you have given you're future in-laws a horrible impression of you. I am sure that you are willing to do anything to make it up to us—and them—but we will talk more about that tomorrow. It has been a long day, so go up to bed and don't cause any more trouble."

Sirius knew when he was beat. It would be pointless to argue now, unless he wanted to add a belting to the list of things that had gone wrong today. He sighed and left his parents to discuss whatever it is they had begun talking about.

_They know I'm out of here as soon as I turn seventeen. This is how they plan on making sure I 'uphold the Black family's honor.' As if the Black family has any honor to begin with. _

He wasn't paying an attention to where he was going, which caused him to run into Regulus on the stairs.

_This is the second time that's happened today. I really need to stop bumping into slimy Slytherins. _

"So what was all the yelling about?" Regulus asked. If Sirius didn't know his brother, he'd think he was actually concerned. But Regulus only wanted an interesting story to tell his 'friends' when he got back to Hogwarts.

"None of your business," Sirius responded, even though he realized his wedding _was_ his brother's business.

"Fine, don't tell me. I'm sure Severus will tell me."

_Since when have Regulus and Snivellus been so close? _"Too bad they left then. Looks like you'll have to stay in the dark."

"Mother said we'd be seeing a lot of them this summer. I'll just ask him some other time then."

"What're you doing up anyway? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Look who's asking the questions now."

"Whatever," Sirius pushed past his brother and continued up the stairs. When he reached his room, he threw himself onto his bed and attempted to burry himself among the pillows. It was only when he realized the light was still on that he looked up and saw the paper and ink he had been about to use earlier on his desk.

_Shit,_ he thought, _how am I gonna tell the guys?_

AN: Again, thank you so much to everyone who's been reading this story. Since I'm a first time writer, I'd really love it if you guys could give me some constructive criticism. Tell me what I'm doing wrong/right, and stuff like that. Lots of love!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The following morning Sirius found himself hoping that the previous night had just been a dream, but after seeing his new robes in a pile on the floor his hopes were squashed. He wasn't up to seeing the rest of his family, so he sat down at his desk and tried to think of a way to tell his friends about his engagement.

_Dear James,_

_How's your summer? Mine has been going great so far—as great as anything having to do with my family could be. Just thought I'd check in to see how you were doing._

_ Sirius_

_ PS: I'm engaged to the greasy bat of Slytherin_

He looked at the paper with disgust and promptly through it in the trash. He hadn't been considering actually sending it, but writing out the news had made him realize there was no way he could tell his friends. Remus might understand, but James and Peter would never talk to him again, never mind the fact that this wasn't his fault.

A marriage contract was a very serious matter in the wizarding world. Spells were placed to ensure neither party would violate the terms agreed upon; the only way to get out of it was death. The framers decided on a minimum period of time the marriage would last and came up with clauses for fidelity, children, distribution of wealth, and so on. It was similar to the muggle prenuptial agreement, except it dealt with the couple's actions during the marriage, not after it.

Unfortunately, parents could create a marriage contract for their underage children. As long as they were underage when the engagement was formally announced the marriage would have to take place. Sirius suspected that the engagement would become official by the end of the summer. A voice from the corner of his room brought Sirius out of his thoughts.

"Mistress has ordered Young Master to come downstairs for breakfast," Kreacher told him.

"Tell her I'm not hungry yet," Sirius instructed. Kreacher obeyed, but did so while muttering obscenities under his breath.

"Sirius Orion Black!" Walburga's voice carried up the stairs a few minutes later, "Hungry or not, you better get down here this instant!"

Sirius let out a sigh and dragged himself to the family dining room. As he sat down, he couldn't help but notice an extra seat at the table next to his.

"Are we expecting a guest?" he inquired.

"No, that chair is for Severus. He will be coming to stay with us at the end of the summer," his father replied.

"You have got to be kidding me! Isn't it bad enough that we're engaged? Are you trying to make my life even worse than it already is?"

"Mind your tone boy! Severus and his family are doing us a great service by agreeing to this engagement, and I suggest you keep in mind how lucky you are to be in this position. Contrary to what you may believe, we are trying to give you a better life."

Mrs. Black gave Sirius a look of exasperation, "I had hoped you were done throwing fits after last night. Eat your breakfast and then come to the parlor. We have to discuss the contract."

The Black parents got up together and left the room. That left a scowling Sirius with a plate full of food and Regulus with his mouth hanging open.

"What?" Sirius asked. He wanted to smack that stupid look off his brother's face.

"You're-" Regulus shook his head, "are you really-"

"If you're asking whether our parents decided to sell me to the Snapes, the answer is yes."

"I didn't know you played for the other team."

"I don't."

"Then why-"

"I don't know."

"You probably don't want to hear this, but Severus is a really great guy."

"Then you marry him."

"He's not my type. But I think you could make a good couple. You just have to try really hard."

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"But don't you-"

"I don't want anything to do with _Snivellus_. I don't want anything to do with you, or the rest of this family either for that matter." Regulus gave him a glare and stormed out of the room. _Great,_ Sirius thought,_ now I've offended everyone._

With one last look at the food he couldn't bring himself to eat, Sirius got up and went to the parlor._ If I'm lucky we won't have to stay together long. Or have kids._

For some reason, a select number of pureblood males were able to have children. That was the reason homosexuality was not frowned upon as much as it was in muggle society. Among purebloods, being married to one of these men was a greater honor than being married to the most beautiful of women. Sirius assumed Severus could have kids if he was being married off to another man, and a straight man at that.

"Sirius," Orion started, "before we discuss the marriage contract, we need to discuss your reaction yesterday."

_Oh great, another public conduct lesson._

"The way you treated us, as well as the Snape family, was extremely rude and disrespectful. When we dismiss you, you are to write apology letters to Vito and Severus. It won't do to have you start this relationship on a bad note."

_This "relationship" means starting my independent life on a bad note._

"Severus is a highly desirable husband; you should be thanking us for arranging this bond."

_Yes, thank you mother and father. Thank you for signing my death warrant._

"The Snapes are a very respectable family. Their lineage can be traced back to the time of Merlin, and they have a large amount of wealth and power."

_Right, money and influence is what makes a marriage work._

"I know the two of you have not gotten along well in the past, but I trust you will do everything in your power to make this marriage work."

_Because Snivellus isn't going to kill me in my sleep the first chance he gets._

"To help move things along, you will be spending two weeks living with the Snapes; Severus will also be staying with us towards the end of the summer."

_I guess he'll get that chance sooner rather than later. I'll get started on my will right away._

"Now, here is your copy of the marriage contract. I'd like for you to look it over…"

Sirius stormed up to his room an hour later. This was outrageous! Not only did he have to stay married to that-that _thing_ for ten years, but they also had to have _children_; a son, to be more precise. He threw himself onto his bed, and then remembered he had to write those apology letters. Not that he actually was sorry. He heaved himself up and took his place at the desk. Perhaps the task would have been easier if he had known more about the recipients, or if he had actually cared about them.

He wrote his letter to Vito first.

_Dear Vito,_

_ I would like to apologize for the way I reacted yesterday. I was in shock, but that is no excuse for me being as disrespectful as I was. I value the bond between our families greatly, and hope my actions will not make you change your mind about me._

_Sincerely,_

_Sirius Black_

After reading it over, he was satisfied that there was no way he could come up with something better or more heartfelt. He sent the missive and decided to write to Severus later. There was no way he'd manage to sound respectful or apologetic towards that piece of Slytherin scum. He grabbed his History of Magic book and started on his summer assignment instead.

Twenty minutes later, when Sirius had managed to become somewhat interested in the affairs of Gobnook the Bearded and the troll wars of 1412, an owl tapping on the window caught his attention. He got up, stretched, and walked over to let the bird in. He had never seen this owl before, so he hoped it was from one of his roommates. Maybe correspondence with them would take his mind off the nightmare he was living.

He had no such luck. The owl wore a collar with the Snape family crest, and the letter bore Severus' seal. Praying the other boy had not sent him a curse; he opened the letter and began to read.

_Dear __Black__ Sirius,_

_ I hope this letter finds you well. When our parents announced our engagement yesterday, I was shocked and did not behave as I should have. Forgive me if I seemed to be horrified by the idea of being married to you. I'm sure it won't be __as bad as I originally thought__ that bad._

_Sincerely,_

_Severus_

_PS: Sirius, this is Vito. Don't worry about a thing, you acted just as anyone in your situation would. I would not dream of nullifying the marriage contract. See you tomorrow!_

Sirius crumpled up the letter and threw it into the corner. It was obvious that Severus did not want to be married either, but the other boy seemed to be better controlled by his parents.

"Sirius!" his mother called, "get ready to go shopping!"

Having no idea what they needed to shop for, he decided to play it safe with his wardrobe. He picked out a freshly ironed robe, black dress shoes, and tied his hair back. After a glance at the mirror to make sure he looked presentable by his mother's standards he raced down the stairs. While waiting in the foyer, he thought about all the ways his parents had ruined his life.

When he was younger, they taught him about dark magic and tried to toughen him up by withholding affection. After he was sorted into Gryffindor they wanted nothing to do with him and only put up with him over the holidays. Other than paying for the necessary expenses and providing a roof over his head they had not completed any parental duties. They hated him and the feeling was mutual.

Now, in a last ditch effort not to lose their precious heir, they had concocted this marriage to ensure Sirius would never be free of them. Sure, he never had to speak to them after the wedding was over and done with, but he would still have to put up with Severus every day.

"Good, you're ready," his mother said as she came down the stairs and saw him waiting. She grabbed his arm, and they apparated away.

Every time Sirius apparated he felt sick. When the queasiness subsided, he realized they were standing somewhere in the heart of Paris. They were awfully close to the Eiffel Tower.

_I wonder what we could possibly need that we can't get in England,_ he thought.

"Well don't just stand there," his mother scolded. "Come into the store." He followed her into the overly fancy store and almost gasped when he realized what they were there to do.

They were standing in an oversized jewelry store. Gold, silver, and diamonds sparkled from every possible surface and the lighting had been turned down for dramatic effect. The realization that they were here to get an engagement ring made Sirius feel sicker than apparition did.

"Hello, I'm Walburga Black," his mother told a man behind one of the counters. "We have an appointment for 3:30."

"Black you said?" the man scanned a book that lay open on the counter. "Here to buy an engagement ring I see. Right this way please." He led them to a back corner and asked them to wait a moment for another jeweler, then returned to the front of the store.

"Now Sirius, can you think of anything in particular Severus would like?" Walburga asked. He almost let out a shout of relief; he would not have to wear a constant reminder of his personal hell.

"I don't know, we don't really get along," he told her.

"Well you have eyes don't you? What does he usually like to wear?"

"I've never seen him wear anything other than the uniform."

"Why did I bring you along in the first place?" Walburga asked the ceiling. Just then, the store clerk they had been waiting for appeared.

"Sirius and Walburga Black?" he asked. At their nod of confirmation he continued. "Pleasure to meet you both, my name is Jacques Roux. Congratulations to both of you on the recent engagement, I presume you are the one to be wed?" Jacques directed his last comment at Sirius. Due to his French accent Sirius had to strain to understand him, and was unprepared for having to interact with the man.

"Er-yes, that would be me," he responded. He could feel his mother's eyes on him, as well as her disapproval for his use of improper language.

"Do you know what you're looking for?" Jacques inquired.

"Why don't you bring out your most expensive rings? Money is no object for us," Walburga told the clerk with a smile.

Jacques' entire face lit up. "Yes, of course!" He began to pull out trays of rings from along the counters, explaining how much the rings on each tray cost. Predictably, Walburga stopped him at the most expensive tray and asked him to describe the rings.

Sirius zoned out, giving polite nods when his mother and Jacques asked him what he thought about each ring. He hadn't been paying attention to any of the rings until Jacques moved to a new tray.

"Wait!" he ordered. There in front of him was a ring that called out to him. Even though he didn't know a thing about Severus, other than the fact that he was the bat of the dungeons, he could imagine the other boy wearing the ring. Jacques explained that it was made of 18 carat white gold, with three rows of radiant cut diamonds that were all two carats each.

"That one," Sirius told his mother, before Jacques had finished speaking.

"You heard him," Walburga told the clerk, smiling at Sirius for the first time in years. Jacques scurried away to find a box for the ring and came back with a small bag as well as a receipt. Walburga handed him her Gringotts card without looking at the bill, but Sirius remembered the tray it was on carried rings that cost around 37,000 galleons.

_They must be really serious about this wedding if they're willing to pay that much for an engagement ring._

"There's a small café up the street," Mrs. Black said, "let's stop there for some coffee before heading home."

The two walked in silence, but everything seemed to be different. Sirius usually hated being with anyone in his family, except his cousin Andromeda, but as he escorted his mother through the crowds of people he felt comfortable. Nothing had changed between the two, he still hated his mother and the way she treated him; however, he felt content with the way things were. For once, he thought of the way his mother might see things.

Walburga was raised in a home similar to his own, and had been a Slytherin through and through. Unlike Sirius, who had the luxury of being a Gryffindor, she had not been exposed to other types of people or families. Sirius guessed she acted the way her mother did before her, and couldn't understand why Sirius could want something different.

_Maybe if I start talking to her more, she'll realize how wrong she is and agree to nullify the marriage,_ he thought.

The two sat outside at a table with a full view of the city. After ordering their coffee and pastries they sat in silence, each one waiting for the other to speak first. It was Walburga who eventually broke that silence.

"You did a good job today."

"Thanks."

"It's _thank you._ And I'm sure Severus will love his ring."

"I think so too."

"We're going to announce the engagement at the end of the summer, right before you go back to school."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Eileen and I are planning a grand party. It'll be the event of the season. You're welcome to invite some of your friends, just make sure they're of good standing and can conduct themselves properly."

"When is this party again?"

"August 27th. It'll be Severus' last day with us, and the last time you'll see him before school begins."

_Thank heavens for that. _"How long is he supposed to stay with us?"

"Two weeks, the same amount of time you'll be spending at the Snape family home."

_Great. There goes a month of my summer. _"I see."

"You two are going to be great together, I can just feel it!"

_Time to go for the gold. _"If you don't mind my asking, why did you choose Sni-Severus of all people?"

Walburga sat back and observed her son for a moment. She had opened her mouth to respond when a shriek carried from across the pavilion.

"Walburga Black is that you? It's been so long!" Evangeline Rosier had begun making her way towards their table. Sirius' mother forced a smile and stood up to greet her.

"Yes it has," she responded. "How is your husband?"

"Oh he's getting along just fine," Mrs. Rosier said while settling herself down at their table. "Sirius, my how you've grown!"

"Thank you Mrs. Rosier," he responded politely. _Leave it to the most annoying woman in the world to interrupt the only 'moment' I'll probably ever have with my mother._

"Sit up straight Sirius!" Walburga barked. _And she's back to normal. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted._

"How're things back in England dear? Richard and I have spent the past month along the French Riviera. He'll be going back to work soon, and I dread leaving all of this behind, but…"

While the two women prattled on about insignificant matters Sirius excused himself and headed towards the men's room. After making sure the door was locked he pulled the ring box out of his pocket and looked at it again.

The ring sparkled back at him, each diamond showing him a distorted version of his reflection. It really was the perfect ring, and he couldn't imagine anyone, even somebody as sour as Severus, turning it down. It was the sort of ring he always imagined his future spouse would wear, even though the thought of being engaged to a man had never crossed his mind. Still, if he squinted and tilted his head Severus did look rather feminine. And he did have rather nice legs…

Sirius shoved the ring back into his pocket and exited the restroom as fast as he could. He spotted his mother getting up from the table and walked over to her.

"It was lovely seeing you again Evangeline," Walburga was saying. "We really must catch up another time."

"Of course dear," the other woman replied, "I'll send out an invitation to tea as soon as we return to London."

Sirius made his goodbyes and then apparated along with his mother, who was too busy mumbling about Mrs. Rosier's lack of propriety to fully acknowledge him.

_I still want to know why they chose Severus of all people. Maybe we can do this again._

Once they returned home, Walburga dismissed Sirius and went to go check on dinner. As Sirius walked up the stairs he couldn't help but think that this was so much better, yet so much worse than how he imagined he summer would be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Important AN**: This chapter delves a bit into religion. It's not supposed to be controversial or anything, but I'm not sure how you guys will take it. This is not meant to be offensive to anyone, and it does not reflect my personal beliefs. Just wanted to give you a heads up. If you don't want to read it then just skip the third paragraph.

Chapter Four

After a good night's sleep Sirius was back to hating his parents and wishing he could have nothing to do with them. Unfortunately, he could not lock himself away for the rest of the summer and hope for his engagement mess to just disappear.

The Snape family would be coming over in the evening to perform the engagement rite. Since Sirius and Severus were underage they didn't really need to be present, but their parents insisted on making a big show about it. Only people involved with the union would be present, but that still meant every member of the Black and Snape families would be there, as well as a ministry official and a priest.

Not many pureblood families were religious, but the Blacks were one of the few. Sirius supposed that was partially why his parents had chosen Severus as his husband; the Snape family was as religious as his own. There were big differences between magic and muggle religions: they believed in different prophets, "miracles" were considered innovations in magic, basic principles were different and there were many more holidays. What they did have in common, however, was a belief in God. Which was why Sirius would be getting hitched in a church (he assumed) and why a priest would be present at all wedding related functions.

It was only just past lunch, and Sirius was already feeling restless. He had nothing to do but think about the upcoming ritual, which made him realize he was hours away from losing his eligibility and any chance at freedom he might have had. If it weren't illegal he would have left his family ages ago.

_These people are not my family. Family doesn't trap you in a marriage with someone you hate. Family doesn't ignore you for six years because you didn't get sorted into the "right" house. It takes much more than blood to be a family._

The word "family" caused him to cringe. In a few short hours, Severus would be his new family. Severus and Sirius. Sirius and Severus. Severus Black. All sounded horrible in his head. Yet he would be starting out his life with Severus by his side for the next ten years. And they'd be involved with each other even longer if they had to produce an heir.

_That's the problem with these crazy purebloods. They see heirs as material possessions. Maybe if they didn't my parents would treat me as an actual person and let me marry whoever I please._

With nothing better to do, Sirius decided it was high time he told James, Remus, and Peter about his upcoming nuptials. He pulled out a piece of parchment and some ink and started to write.

_Dear James,_

_ I hope you're having fun in France, or wherever your family is vacationing this year. Give your parents my best._

_ The reason I'm writing is that I got some very startling news a few days ago. I'm not really sure how to tell you this, so I'm just going to say it. I'm engaged to Severus Snape. You must be shocked; believe me, so was I. My parents (they arranged this thing in case you couldn't tell) are officially off their rocker. Unfortunately there's no way I can stop it from happening. I've checked._

_ Do me a favor and find some beautiful, amazing girl and marry her for me will you?_

_Sirius_

Looking over the letter Sirius realized he couldn't send it. He added it to the growing list of garbage in the corner of his room. This was not the kind of news you delivered in a letter. He would have to tell the guys in person, which meant he would have to be there to witness their reactions.

Pushing his writing materials away, he picked up his charms textbook and began to read. There was no point in wasting time. Severus had spoken the truth the other day, only the crème de la crop became Unspeakables. And if that was the case, Sirius would also have to participate in other activities besides Quidditch.

_Well there's the chess club, I'm rather good at the game, but only nerds join the club. I need something cooler. I'm popular, so I could always run for student government. That would look really good on a college application. And the foreign language club sounds interesting, plus they throw parties every month._

_ Wait a minute. Am I really thinking about something Sev-I mean, Snivellus told me? Maybe I'm the one off my rocker._

He shook the thoughts out of his head and went back to studying.

A few hours later Sirius was woken up by a knock on the door.

_Guess I must've fallen asleep while reading_.

"Sirius, are you in there?" his mother called.

"Yes, you can come in!" he shouted back, while wiping drool off the corner of his mouth.

"Look at you, your hair is a mess!" she scolded. "People will start to arrive in a couple of hours, you need to get ready."

"It's not going to take that long," he protested. She silenced him with a glare.

"I've gotten you new robes and shoes," she told him. She set a couple of packages on his dresser and looked around. "I certainly hope this room looked different when the Snape children were in here. It looks like a sty!"

"I'll clean it up after the party. I'm going to start getting ready now so…"

"Well hurry up, I expect you to greet all your guests. Be downstairs in an hour and a half," Walburga all but slammed the door as she was leaving.

_That was fun. We should do it again sometime, _he thought sarcastically. He picked his towel up off the floor and went to go take a shower.

He returned to his room soaking wet, the towel serving only to shield him from the cold air. With a shake of his head he sent water droplets throughout the room, a compliment to the wet footprints on the floorboards. Sirius walked over to the dresser and inspected what his mother had bought this time.

When he ripped the paper off the first package his jaw nearly hit the floor. Inside was a robe even more exquisite than the one he had been presented with a couple of days ago. It was midnight blue in color, and was made of a fabric that was silky, yet comfortable. There was simple gold embroidery along the collar and sleeves, but the thread seemed to be made of pure gold; knowing his mother, it probably was. The shoes were equally as beautiful, they were black dragon hide boots with a gold zipper up the sides. It seemed his mother knew his fashion sense better than he had thought.

He gently eased the robe over his head; he didn't want to damage it in the slightest, and slowly pulled his boots on. Then he ran a comb through his hair and spent ten minutes figuring out the perfect way to have it accent his robes. Eventually he just knotted it at the top of his head with a simple black band.

With only twenty minutes until show time he decided to go down in case anyone arrived early. As he made his way down the stairs he could hear Vito's booming laughter coming from the parlor, where the ritual was to take place. An overeager cameraman snapped a photo as he descended the stairs, but Sirius waved him off with an annoyed look on his face.

_I wonder what Severus looks like today,_ he couldn't help but think. He would have to wait a bit longer to find out though; only Vito and the two elder Snape children had arrived.

"There's the man of the hour!" his future father-in-law exclaimed. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," Sirius admitted. He tried to catch his father's eye, but Orion was deep in a discussion with Walburga.

"Don't worry, you won't have to do a thing and it'll all be over before you know it."

_Will the next decade be over before I know it? _"Thanks. I'll try not to throw up."

Vito roared with laughter and clapped him on the back. "You're going to be a great match for my Severus."

Sirius had only been joking about throwing up before, but when Vito said that it brought on a wave of nausea. "I should go wait at the door," he said as an excuse to leave.

Once alone in the foyer he took a deep breath. This was it: the last hour of freedom. Maybe Severus would strangle himself while getting ready. Maybe one of them would choke during dinner. Maybe the ministry official would refuse to bind them together. He pulled out a chair and started imagining more ways to get out of the engagement. He had a feeling pretending to be sick wouldn't work as well as it had when he was seven.

"Sirius, do you have a moment?" his father asked. This was the first time Sirius had ever seen the man look unsure of himself. Orion stood in the doorway awkwardly, biting his lip and looking at Sirius with a question in his eyes. Upon close scrutiny, one could see the man slightly shifting from one foot to the other.

"Sure," he replied in a monotone voice. Thanks to this marriage Sirius had ten years of moments for his family. But, because of the way his father was acting, he gestured towards the empty chair next to him. Orion didn't immediately sit down. He retreated for a brief second and then returned with two glasses of brandy.

"Underage or not, any man entering an engagement deserves to drink alcohol."

"If that's how you feel then why are you signing my death warrant?" Sirius asked. It came out as a joke, but he meant it quite literally.

"Marriage will be good for you. It teaches a man to be…well, a man. And believe it or not, you and Severus make quite an impressive match."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Sirius muttered under his breath. Orion appeared not to hear him however, as he went on.

"After tonight people will look at you differently. Up until this point, everything you've done has reflected your mother and I. Once you and Severus are bonded, you will be considered a responsible adult and the head of a family unit. Even though you're not married yet, Severus is your family and should be put before us."

"Could we not talk about this right now?" Sirius pleaded. The last thing he wanted was to hear the marriage talk from his father. His father looked startled for a moment before trying to go on.

"I know we haven't had the closest relationship, but-" A knock on the door cut Orion off, and Sirius decided he would kiss whoever had saved him from the torture.

Kreacher appeared and opened the door for the first of the guests. Or at least that's who Sirius thought it would be. Instead, he was surprised by Severus, Eileen, and Julia.

"Cutting it rather close are we?" Sirius' father asked, but with an amused tone.

"Yes well, I'm sure you remember what it's like getting an eleven year old ready for a formal event. Severus, go greet your fiancé."

Severus looked absolutely stunning… for a guy. His hair rested in a perfect chignon braid at the nape of his neck, his skin had a sun-kissed glow to it, and his most exquisite eyes gazed out from under the longest lashes Sirius had ever seen on another male. He was wearing a dark purple robe that clung to his toned frame and black leather boots. If he had been anyone else, Sirius would have thought he was lucky to be engaged to such a creature.

Severus was giving his mother a glare, who was giving him a pointed look in return. With a sigh he muttered a quick "hello," shook Orion's hand, and then disappeared into the parlor.

"Don't worry dear," Eileen said, "he's just nervous about the ritual."

"Aren't we all," Sirius muttered. He knew exactly what was bothering Severus, and it had nothing to do with nerves and everything to do with the person he was being married off to.

"Come into the parlor Sirius, we need to go over the ritual. Julia, will you help me out? I need someone to tell Regulus to watch the door. He's upstairs in his room," Orion told her.

Julia jumped for the chance to help out. She was all decked out for her big brother's engagement. She wore a light pink robe with a gold pattern on it and delicate slippers. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and then braided. She looked adorable.

Eileen was also looking her best. She wore her hair in elaborate curls, and paired with her natural looking makeup it made her look years younger. Her robe was a dusty orange color, with a floral print and small diamonds in the middle of each flower. The diamonds matched her jewelry and heels. If Sirius didn't know any better, he'd have thought Eileen was single and in her late twenties.

Eileen took Sirius by the arm and walked him into the parlor, where she pushed him onto the loveseat next to Severus. Sirius sneaked a glance at the other boy before realizing it was a big mistake. He couldn't take his eyes off him. Severus caught him staring and turned around.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing…it's just that…you…hi," Sirius finished lamely.

"Hi," Severus replied, looking at Sirius as if he were crazy.

"Doesn't Severus look wonderful?" Walburga prompted.

_He looks absolutely amazing._ "Yes, you look good." Sirius said. For once he appreciated his mother's goading tendencies. There was no way the compliment would have come out without her.

"Thanks," Severus said. His cheeks had turned slightly pink and he had turned his head away from Sirius.

"You're welcome," Sirius told him, too quiet to hear.

"Everyone, this is Lord Wessex. The ministry assigned him to perform the bond," Vito exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to the door.

Lord Wessex was an old man, probably in his late fifties, with a heavy white mustache and horrible taste in clothes. He was wearing a tan robe with pockets littering the front and matching tan boots.

"Thank you for coming," Orion said, shaking the man's hand. "I'm Orion Black, father of one of the grooms to be. That over there is my wife, Walburga, Vito's wife Eileen, and sitting over there is the _happy _couple, Sirius and Severus." The stress of the word "happy" was a warning to Sirius not to screw anything up.

"Lovely, what a lovely family!" Wessex exclaimed. "I must say, underage bonds are a rarity these days. It's good to see some families still carry out the tradition."

"Yes, well I have the contract over here, if you would like to look over them now," Vito said.

"Of course! Let's get straight to work. This is going to be my first underage bonding, if you must know," Wessex told the group.

"How…wonderful," Walburga said, with a shocked look on her face. Sirius could tell she wanted nothing more than the best for the wedding, which meant having the most experience bonder.

"Not to worry! The fact that these two are underage doesn't change the ritual all that much; we'll just have to include both sets of parents, I'm sure you already knew that though," Wessex said, oblivious to the looks of disdain all the adults were giving him.

_Maybe if I'm lucky he'll perform the bond incorrectly,_ Sirius thought. Too late he realized that he had actually said that out loud. Only Severus appeared to have heard him though, and was giving him a rather calculated look.

"We won't get off that easy," Severus whispered, "even a buffoon like Wessex could add the one line to the ceremony."

"Can't blame a guy for dreaming," Sirius replied. It was ironic that the first civil conversation the two of them were having was about wanting to have nothing to do with each other. The crazy camera man popped out of nowhere and blinded them with a flash. He then started snapping pictures of the parents, Lord Wessex, and the siblings of the "happy couple."

"I guess I should say welcome to the family or something," Francesco said, while he and Graziella walked up to the couch. The two settled on the armchairs next to the loveseat.

"Technically, I think we're welcoming you to my family," Sirius said.

"Can we see the ring?" Graziella asked.

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to-shit!" Sirius exclaimed. He had forgotten the ring upstairs in his dresser. "I'll be right back," he told the group. There was no denying they knew what he had done, but he was hoping none of them would report the incident to his mother.

He snuck out of the room while his mother was busy talking to Father Jacobson, who had arrived a few minutes ago. He entered the foyer and breathed a sigh of relief. Now all he had to do was run upstairs, grab the ring, come back, and pretend this never happened.

As soon as he stepped onto the first step his plan was foiled by a knock at the door. Regulus and Julia raced down the steps to answer it, nearly making Sirius fall over. He turned around to see who had arrived and was pulled into a bear hug by his least favorite aunt, Cassiopeia.

"I can't believe you're getting engaged! It seems like only last week you were learning how to walk," she said.

_ As if she cared about me once I got sorted into Gryffindor._

"For him it was last week," his cousin Narcissa snickered. At least someone wasn't putting on a show around him. Realizing that his plan to grab the ring wouldn't work, he waited until his Aunt Cassie had turned around to scold her daughter, and then pulled Regulus aside.

"I need you to do something for me," he said.

"Depends…what's in it for me?" Regulus, ever the Slytherin asked.

"I'll get you a new owl, but I need you to go upstairs and bring me the engagement ring without anyone finding out."

"I'll do it…but I want something else instead."

"What?"

"Make me a groomsman."

"No! That job is reserved for people I actually like!"

"Then I'm going to tell mother you forgot the ring." Cassiopeia was turning around again; Sirius didn't have much time.

"Fine, you can be a groomsman, just hurry will you!" Regulus gave him an evil grin and raced back upstairs for the ring that was causing Sirius so much grief.

"How does it feel to be almost married?" Cassiopeia asked.

"I've got a weird feeling in my stomach."

"Butterflies dear, we all get them." She then ushered her daughters into the living room.

"Right. _Butterflies,_" he muttered. Cassiopeia was the last person to be giving him advice on marriage, considering the fact that her own husband had left her ten years ago, as soon as the sunset clause on their marriage contract had expired.

"Got the ring," Regulus said grinning.

"Thanks. What're you so smug about?"

"Nothing; just remember, blue boutonnieres will complement my eyes." Regulus then sat down on a chair facing the door, his position until every guest had arrived.

Sirius didn't actually care that he had promised Regulus a spot in the wedding party. Sure, the wedding party was supposed to include only the couple's nearest and dearest. But when the couple hated each other's guts that rule went out the window. He returned to the living room and took his place besides Severus.

_My place, _he thought, _for the next ten years my place will be besides Severus._

Twenty minutes later everyone had arrived and was anxiously waiting for the ritual to begin. Sirius and Severus sat together on the loveseat, with both sets of parents standing behind them. Lord Wessex and Father Jacobson sat on chairs facing them and everyone else was scattered about the room. There were around thirty-five people in attendance, all close family. People who didn't care about Sirius in the slightest were here to see him get engaged.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lord Wessex announced, "tonight we are here to celebrate the union of the Snape and Black families through their sons, Sirius and Severus."

_We are also here to celebrate my imprisonment,_ Sirius thought.

"The honor of bonding these two has been bestowed on me by the Ministry of Magic. Severus, Sirius, draw your wands."

_I really wish that was an invitation to duel._ The two took out their wands and crossed them on the table in front of them.

"Are you Severus Adrian Snape, son of Vito Matteo Snape and Eileen Elizabeth Snape?"

"I am."

_Unfortunately._

"And are you Sirius Orion Black, son and heir of Orion Pyxis Black and Walburga Anne Black?"

"I am."

"Do you swear to uphold the joining of your magic, wealth, and family names for at least the next ten years?"

"I do."

"I do."

"Do you promise to uphold the marriage contract your parents have arranged?

"I do."

"I do."

Lord Wessex now looked at the parents standing behind the loveseat. "Are you Vito Matteo Snape?"

"I am."

"And are you Orion Pyxis Black?"

"I am."

"Do you agree with the bonding of your children in matrimony, and the terms agreed upon in the marriage contract?"

"I do."

"I do."

Lord Wessex turned his attention back to Sirius and Severus. "This is the last time I shall ask; do you agree to be wed and to uphold the marriage contract for the next ten years, with losing your magic as a result of breaking this bond?"

"I do."

_I really wish there was some other way out of this._ "I do."

Sparks of gold and silver flew out of the two wands, encasing the room in a warm glow. "The two of you are now bonded. Failure to uphold the conditions of the contract will result in the permanent loss of your magic. Congratulations, you are now officially engaged."

The room burst into applause, and the house elves began to pass around glasses of champagne. Sirius pulled the ring out of his pocket and the room grew quiet once more. He slowly opened the lid of the box, angling it so that only Severus and their parents could see what was inside. He heard Severus let out a small gasp at the beautiful creation that was revealed.

Even more slowly, Sirius reached out for Severus' hand. The other boy's hand was very warm. It was also smooth, but not uncallused. It was an artists' hand. Sirius slipped the ring over his finger while glancing up to see his fiancé's reaction.

Severus was looking at his face for the first time that night. They locked eyes and Sirius could tell the other boy was thinking the same thing: the next decade is going to be hell. Still, it was a silent agreement and the first thing they had ever agreed upon. Sirius took the moment to observe Severus' eyes more closely. They were definitely blue-or green, or hazel. No, they were hazel, as he had first observed. But they had flecks of blue and violet in them. He leaned in to get a closer look when Severus cleared his throat, making Sirius realize he had been holding on to the boy's hand and staring at him for way too long.

They broke apart and tried to move away from each other on the loveseat, which seemed to have shrunk. The room broke out into applause again and everyone toasted them and drank champagne. It was like a fairytale wedding, except for the fact that his princess was not a princess at all, but rather an ugly toad like creature who he hated.

_Alright, he's not ugly. But he's still a toad._

Eventually the one thing, besides getting engaged, that Sirius dreaded started: people were clinking their glasses. Both sets of parents joined in, but with the addition of pointed looks in their direction. It seemed like the noise had gone on for five minutes; the sound of silver on glass was driving Sirius insane.

Under his mother's watchful eye, he leaned in and whispered into Severus' ear. "They're not going to stop until we give them what they want. Just let me kiss you on the cheek and they'll be satisfied." Without waiting for a response, he drew back slightly and angled his head a bit to give Severus a chaste peck on the cheek.

The people who had previously been making an ungodly racket now laughed and began to goad them on.

"Don't you know how to kiss properly?"

"What kind of Black are you?"

"Come on, give us a show!"

Sirius didn't know who was shouting what, but he did know that Severus was shifting slightly in his seat.

He heard the other boy's voice, which was rather sweet and melodious, in his ear "Like you said: they won't stop unless we give them what they want. Let's make sure they don't bother us for the rest of the night."

Severus angled himself slightly on the couch and put one hand on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius couldn't process what was happening, but his mind instructed him to place one of his own hands on Severus' waist. Severus leaned forward, paused, leaned forward again, and then stopped. Sirius could tell that the other boy was considering pulling back for good, and, loathe as he was to admit it, he did want to know whether his fiancé was a good kisser. So, without thinking about it, he used his other hand to pull Severus towards him and kissed him right on the mouth.

It wasn't perfect, not at first at least. Their teeth hit each other, causing Severus to pull back slightly in pain. Surprisingly, Severus took control of the situation and leaned in again, this time gently placing his lips on Sirius'. They stayed like that for a couple of seconds, with Severus lightly putting pressure on Sirius' lips with his own. Deciding he wanted more, Sirius leaned up against the kiss and applied pressure of his own. When Severus started to pull back, he held on tighter and used his tongue to beg for entrance into the mouth with the most luscious lips Sirius had ever tasted…

A rather loud clearing of the throat brought Sirius back to his senses. He realized he had practically pulled Severus, who was looking at him with a raised brow, into his lap in front of all their immediate family and a priest. He wasn't sure which was worse: a make-out session in front of his parents or in front of Father Jacobson.

_Neither. The worst thing about it was kissing Severus and not realizing it._ It wasn't entirely his fault though. Severus' lips did feel like a girl's, and the boy's frame wasn't manly enough to distinguish him from a really skinny, flat-chested chick. He was about to get lost in his own thoughts again, but was interrupted by his father.

"Let's make our way into the dining room everyone; we can celebrate this joyous occasion further in there."

So, what do you think? I actually really want to know how you guys think I'm doing on character development and plot development. Am I moving things along too fast? I'm also trying not to make Sirius seem too OOC, so please let me know how I'm doing on that.

Lots of love (and a way longer chapter) to my favorite people!


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I am not fluent in Italian and only have my five years of class to rely on. If you speak the language please don't hesitate in correcting me.

Chapter Five

Sirius had been officially engaged for three days now. After the ritual he and Severus had been surrounded by family members; everyone wanted to offer congratulations, give them advice, and take a look at the ring. The Black family had splurged on the feast and a five piece orchestra to entertain the guests. From the look of things the wedding was going to be the event of the century.

He was currently packing for his two week stay at the Snape family home. He had never visited them before and was actually quite nervous about it. For the next fourteen days he would be surrounded by Severus and his immediate family, plus the relatives who had traveled for the engagement ritual and would be staying another couple of days.

Over the last few days Sirius had discovered a lot about the Snape family. Vito had been born in Florence, Italy and had come to England to attend Bedford University. He was the founder and CEO of Wiz Innovation, a wizarding technology company. After graduating he met Eileen Prince, the daughter of a politician, and the two had eloped in Italy. The Prince family was still unhappy with their daughter's marriage; however, she was an only child and couldn't be disowned, or the Prince line would be without an heir. The Princes had died quite some time ago, shortly after Graziella was born, but Vito's mother Sylvia was still alive.

Sylvia had come all the way from Florence to attend the engagement ritual, and even though she didn't speak a word of English she had still embraced Sirius and, as far as he knew, given them her blessing. It had been a shock to hear Severus speaking in another language, but it did make the other boy seem even more attractive. Not that he was attractive.

_Who am I kidding?_ Sirius thought, _if I actually wanted to be married to my worst enemy I'd by psyched about how hot he is. Hopefully he doesn't go back to being a greasy git once we go back to Hogwarts._

Since she was old and couldn't travel well, Sylvia would be staying in England until after the wedding. Sirius hoped he would be able to pick up some Italian by then. The rest of Vito's family had also come up from Italy for the ritual, but they would be returning home after a couple of days.

_What am I going to need for two weeks? Clothes, toothbrush, tanto*…_

He sighed and just started throwing things into his bags. Half his wardrobe, everything from his bathroom, and some books to keep him occupied. Half an hour later his bags were packed; he stood in front of his desk and debated whether or not to write James a letter. He had received a note from the other just yesterday, and it sounded like James was having a hell of a better summer than he was.

_Dear Padfoot,_

_I had forgotten how truly amazing summer is! We're staying in Greece this year and you won't believe who I saw on the beach: Lily Evans. That can't be a coincidence! Fate is trying to tell us we're meant to be! _

_I got to meet her parents and her sister. They're rather nice, but her sister seems a bit stuck up; it's hard to see the resemblance between those two. Lily has also been spending some time with my mother, which proves that she likes me. Why else would you hang out with someone's parents?_

_Hope your family isn't being too nasty this year. Just remember you only have a few more months till you're seventeen, then you can move in with me and my folks. We can become aurors together, be each other's best men, and live a film worthy life._

_Αντίο (that's how you say bye in Greek)_

_Prongs_

Yes, they would lead film-worthy lives. Unfortunately, Sirius' life resembled a horror movie. At least James' was a romantic comedy. He wondered how Remus and Peter were doing; probably not as well as James, but not as bad as himself. Deciding to attempt to tell his best friend what was going on he sat down and stared at a blank piece of parchment.

_Hey Prongs,_

_Running in to Evans like that was lucky, maybe she'll agree to go out with you after you guys spend the summer together. My summer hasn't been as wonderfully magical. As you probably know, my parents are pure evil and will do anything in their power to enslave me in the Black family name. They also want to make me as miserable as possible. It is for these reasons that they have decided to marry me off to Snivellus Snape._

_I really wish there was some way I could get out of it, but the bond was performed a few days ago. We're supposed to be married a few weeks after graduation. I won't blame you if you don't come to the wedding._

_I'm getting ready to spend the next few weeks at the git's house. I leave all my possessions to you if I don't survive._

_Ciao (apparently the Snapes are half Italian)_

_Padfoot_

It wouldn't do to send the letter. He added it to the ever increasing pile of rubbish that just missed the trash bin. Apparently Kreacher had been neglecting his cleaning duties.

It wasn't fair that James took his life for granted while he, Sirius, would have to suffer for the rest of his. And it was all because of the families they had been born in to. James had visited so many countries, picked out the girl he would marry, and been guaranteed a spot in the college of his choice. As a legacy, James would be attending Briarstone; the college had been ranked number three in the wizarding world, after Bedford and Madison. Sirius' father had attended St. Ivan's University (ranked number 6), but since he wanted nothing to do with his parents he would not be going there. And after what Severus had said about the admissions process he was starting to doubt he could get into any choice schools.

"Sirius are you ready?" his mother called up the stairs.

"Yes, I'm coming!" he replied. He left his bags for Kreacher to bring down and met his family in the foyer. They would be traveling there together, but the other Blacks would leave after lunch.

"Look at your hair!" his mother exclaimed. She aimed her wand at him and performed a quick brushing spell, then handed him a band to tie it back with.

Sirius rolled his eyes and accepted it. Even though he wasn't happy with the arrangement, he supposed appearing unkempt in front of his future in-laws wouldn't do. He would be spending the next decade interacting with these people, so it made no sense to alienate them this early in the relationship. He grabbed his father's arm and the two were gone.

When the dizziness caused by apparition subsided Sirius took in his surroundings. He was astonished by what he saw: apparently the Snapes were ten times—no a hundred times—richer than the Blacks.

The mansion was located at the top of a hill overlooking a lake. From where Sirius stood, he could see a winding path down to a rather large boathouse and another path down to the impressive looking gate. There were trees galore; it was like the family was singlehandedly trying to stop global warming by planting more and more of them. Right in front of the house was a small garden complete with a fountain. Sirius couldn't see much else from where he stood, but he was willing to be the rest of the grounds were equally as impressive.

The house itself looked to be made of stone. It was dark in color with French doors and many windows. There were panels of stained glass on either side of the front door, and a porch that spanned the perimeter of the house. If the inside was anything like the outside Sirius wouldn't have to spend as much time with the family as he had thought.

"Stop gawking and ring the bell," his mother, who Sirius' hadn't heard arrive, ordered. He reached out and pressed the button that rested under an elaborately carved panther's head. Now that he was facing it he noticed the whole front door was engraved with a forest scene. A house elf opened the door and welcomed them into the foyer, which was much larger than the one at Grimauld Place.

"Welcome to Valhalla!" Eileen announced. "I believe you and Regulus have never been here before," she said, while giving them all warm hugs. "Come into the lounge, that's where everyone else is."

Sirius followed the small group into the next room, eyes taking in all the details that made the Snape home so grand. The floors were of black and white marble, there were exquisite craftings on the ceiling, and expensive looking pieces of art littered the room. Despite the hand-crafted furniture and custom-ordered rugs, the Snape family seemed to be completely at home in their surroundings.

Vito got up from his place next to Sylvia as they entered. "Welcome," he said, "I hope you enjoy your stay here Sirius, we'd like for you to visit much, much more."

"Thanks," he responded, letting his future father-in-law embrace him.

"Severus will be down in a moment," he was told. "You remember my mother, Sylvia, and my brother Giovanni?" Vito asked.

Sirius nodded. "Hello, nice to see you again." It was obvious that the two were related to Vito: they both had dark, curly hair and tanned skin. If Giovanni had been a foot taller he would have thought they were twins.

"Avvicinati bambino," Sylvia said.

"She wants you to come closer," Vito explained. Sirius took a few steps forward; all eyes were on him now.

"E 'questo il meglio per mio nipote? Non sa nemmeno parlare italiano!" the old woman said, this time directing her comments towards Vito.

"Lei li ha visti insieme ieri. Essi formano una coppia attraente, e lavorare sodo per far funzionare il loro matrimonio," Vito responded. Sirius wasn't sure what was going on, but he hoped it fared well for him. Sylvia seemed like a very tough opponent.

"Lascia che ti guardi bambino," she said, looking at Sirius. "Hai gli occhi saggi e mani forti. Vi prometto di prendermi cura di mio nipote? Vuole essere un buon marito e padre per lui, bambino?"

"Say yes," Giovanni mouthed from his seat on the sofa. Sirius nodded his head.

"Ti bugia? Tu non capisci una parola della mia lingua," she said. Vito gave his brother a sharp look. "Vito, se Severus non è felice io mi rompere il contratto. Questo ragazzo non sa niente di essere responsabile di altri, e lui non è uno di noi."

"Imparerà mamma. Nessuno è un esperto di matrimonio all'inizio," Vito told her. He looked at Sirius and gave him a word of advice, "Learn Italian as quick as you can."

If Severus hadn't arrived in that moment Sirius was sure an argument would have broken out. Even though he didn't speak Italian it was obvious Sylvia did not approve of him, for whatever reason she had just told the others.

"Severus, you look wonderful today," Walburga exclaimed. She still carried a confused look due to the verbal tennis match that had taken place.

"Thank you," Severus mumbled. After the kiss a few days ago the boy had done everything in his power not to look Sirius in the eye.

"Sirius, tell your fiancé he looks lovely," Walburga instructed. Unlike the other day, when he was all dressed up for the ritual, Severus' beauty was natural and had nothing to do with his clothing. He was wearing a simple red robe and hadn't done anything with his hair. Sirius took a moment to observe that it was not black as he had first thought, but rather a very dark brown; it was also extremely wavy, and he couldn't help but wonder whether it was soft too.

"You look nice," he told the boy instead. Severus looked so much more than nice; he looked amazing, in an undone kind of way. Sirius wondered if this is what he would look like every day of their marriage. He decided he could live that, as long as they didn't have to interact with each other.

"Don't be shy now!" Eileen exclaimed. For the second time in a month she pushed Severus towards Sirius, who caught him to prevent him from falling.

"Do we have to get the champagne glasses out?" one of Severus' cousins asked from the corner of the room.

"Sorry," Sirius told his fiancé, before leaning forward and placing a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth. Another thing that bothered Sirius about this whole mess was that there was no chemistry between the two of them. If he and Severus were perfect for each other there would be sparks every time they touched and fireworks when they kissed. Severus had proven to be a rather good kisser the other night, but other than sheer physical pleasure there had been nothing satisfying about the kiss.

_I only have to put up with this for ten years,_ Sirius thought._ Then I can kiss every girl in Europe till I find my soul mate._

Severus straightened up and looked away. "Lunch is ready," he announced, then all but ran into what Sirius assumed to be the dining room.

"You heard the boy," Vito barked, "let's eat!" The man ushered everyone into the room, but waited to enter with Sirius. "One thing you should know," he said, "is that Italian families are obsessed with food. It's not uncommon to have four course meals on a daily basis."

Sirius, a teenage boy who loved to eat, decided that this was the best thing to come of getting engaged. He looked around the room he had been led to. There was a long table in the center of the room, mirrors covering the walls adjacent to him, and a giant window right across from him. The room was sparsely decorated, but it didn't need heavy adornments to display the amount of wealth his new family possessed.

_This is probably what attracted my parents to them in the first place,_ he mused.

Vito had taken his spot at the head of the table; Giovanni and Orion were seated on either side of him. Sylvia was sat like a queen next to Giovanni, and the man's wife, Marietta, sat next to her. At the other end of the table Eileen sat facing her husband, between Sirius' mother and Luisa, Vito's sister. Severus sat next to Luisa, there was an empty chair next to him, and all the siblings and cousins took up every other available seat. The seating arrangement had probably been planned.

Sirius sat down slowly, suspecting that one sudden move would cause his fiancé to spear him with a dinner knife. However, other than looking at him petulantly from the corner of his eye the other boy did nothing. As soon as he had been seated an army of house elves appeared and set various salads, cold soups, dressings, and other appetizers. Eileen was naming each cultural dish and explaining its ingredients, urging both him and his mother to try them. Sirius didn't think he'd be able to eat anything after the first course.

Pretty soon everyone had become absorbed in their own conversations and no one paid any attention to him or Severus.

_ Probably another ploy to get us to talk to each other, _Sirius thought. He would have to interact with his fiancé at some point, he decided, so it was better to start now.

"Are you telling me someone as skinny as you can eat this much?" Sirius asked.

Severus, who had been pointedly ignoring him, was surprised by the question. "No one can," he replied, "we just pretend we do." Looking down at Severus' plate he noticed that it actually held a small amount of food; the food had just been spread out to make it seem there was more of it. He turned his head again, seemingly content on ignoring Sirius.

"We can't go on like this," Sirius said. He hadn't intended to say it, but such an epiphany could not remain unheard.

"Sure we can," Severus said, "we'll interact when we absolutely have to and in ten years we'll be done. You'll be _free._"

The way he stressed the last word made Sirius wonder if his fiancé could read minds. "Is that enough?" he asked. "Ten years is a long time, and we need to have a son. I'm not sure what you know about reproduction, but it actually involves effort on the parents' part."

"I realize that, but I was hoping not to have anything to do with you until our wedding. Thank you for your interest in coming with up a common ground though, it was especially kind of you to bring it up during lunch with our families."

"Fine," Sirius agreed, "we shouldn't talk about it now, but we're going to need to do it at some point before the wedding."

"Can you pass the panzanella?" he asked.

"The what?"

"It's the bread salad right next to your elbow."

"Here," Sirius said, carefully moving the bowl to his other side.

"Thanks," Severus said. He appeared to be debating whether to continue talking. "You should try some," he finally said, dumping a spoonful of the dish onto Sirius' plate.

"Thanks." Sirius wasn't sure whether to be grateful for this moment or horrified that this is what his life had come to.

"And you should really try the bruschetta on bread; I think my grandmother made it."

"Your grandmother cooks?"

"We pretty much all do, it's actually enjoyable."

"Can you cook?"

"Why do you think I'm so good at making potions?"

"At least I won't go starve in the next ten years."

"I could always poison you."

"That would violate the marriage contract."

"Losing my magic is a small price to pay."

"Is Azkaban?"

Severus greeted this comment with silence. "Alright, I won't murder you."

"Were you actually considering it?"

This time Severus didn't even give him a response.

* A tanto is a traditional sword used by the samurai for ritual suicide


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Warning! Sirius gets a little frisky near the end.

Chapter 6

Neither Sirius nor Severus had spoken a word during the next four courses. The only time they interacted at all was when somebody asked for a dish to be passed down the table, or when Eileen instructed Severus to make Sirius try something. Even in those cases they simply handed each other a plate or bowl.

After lunch Sirius got to talk to the rest of the Snape family more than he would have liked to. He found out that Luisa's husband had violated their marriage contract, giving her the power to divorce him and sole custody of their daughter Gianna. Gianna was thirteen, but acted like a five year old high on sugar. Giovanni and Marietta had three children: Alexandria, Matteo, and Luca. Luca was two years younger than Julia, Matteo was Regulus' age, and Alexandria was a year older than Sirius. The three of them kept to themselves mostly, but Francesco assured him they were just wary of new people.

"Hey Sirius," Francesco said, "since you gave us a grand tour of Grimauld Place it's only fair that we return the favor."

"Sure," Sirius said. He actually looked forward to seeing more of the majestic home. Despite what others thought he loved to learn about history and art, and Valhalla had plenty of both. "How about we do it after my parents leave?"

"That would be perfect," Vito said, giving Sirius a smirk. Sirius wasn't sure whether Vito had something planned or was just trying to be nice, but he had a feeling he should keep an eye on his future brother-in-law.

Sirius stood in the foyer as his parents bid adieu to the Snapes. Eileen, who had Severus by the arm, came to stand next to him.

"Don't worry about a thing dear," she told him. "We're going to take good care of you, aren't we Severus?"

"Whatever you say mom," the dark haired boy replied.

"Severus is going to make a great husband," she continued, giving her son a sharp look for his sass. "He's an excellent cook, a great conversationalist, and-"

"I'm already engaged mom," Severus interjected, "stop trying to sell me to the highest bidder."

Eileen swatted her son's head and switched gears. "We hope you will come to see us as your second family," she told Sirius, "Severus is very important to us, and we want to be as involved in your life as you are in his."

_Sweet Merlin,_ Sirius thought, _I have a crazy mother-in-law._ "Don't worry," he told her instead, "I'm sure we'll all get along just fine." He gave her an award winning smile and patted Severus on the shoulder.

With what could have been a tear in her eye, Eileen gave Sirius a quick hug and then left the couple alone. He could see her chatting to his parents, all of them with smiles on their faces. Everyone in that room looked happy, with the exception of Severus, Sylvia, and himself. A light went off in his head and he turned to his fiancé.

"I need you to teach me Italian," he said. With the amount of time that would take they were sure to get closer. Maybe then having kids together wouldn't gross him out as much, and maybe Severus would stop thinking of ways to kill him.

"Why?" Severus asked. The tone of his voice indicated the other boy didn't think Sirius would be involved in his life enough to have to understand his family.

"How else am I going to know what's going on around here? Besides, you're father wants me to be able to understand your grandmother."

"Then ask him to teach you."

"I want you to do it."

Severus gave him a calculating look. "We'll see," he said simply. At that moment Walburga and Orion came up to say their goodbyes.

"This is it," Orion said, "time to start getting ready for marriage."

"It's two weeks," Sirius replied, "being spent with the rest of his family."

"Still," Orion told him, "you're going to have to practice getting along and liking each other's company."

"I'll try."

"Sirius, make sure you behave yourself," Walburga instructed.

_What do my parents think I'm going to do?_ he asked himself. "I will."

"We'll see you in two weeks then," she told him. After embracing Severus, she gave him a terse hug and went to drag Regulus out of the crowd.

Orion shook both their hands and gave Sirius a meaningful look. It was a look that said "don't you dare mess this up" and "I will find out about all your shenanigans." Deciding not to start a fight he let his parents' mistrust of him go. If he was spending the next two weeks alone with Severus they might have had a problem, but surrounded by other family members and who knew how many acres of land they would get along just fine.

Regulus, who had made himself scarce, gave the two a quick goodbye before grabbing on to Walburga's arm. The other Blacks apparated away, which left Sirius alone in a den of Snapes. Despite the fact that he hated them, he found himself staring at the spot they had just been, wishing for them to come back and tell him this had all been an elaborate hoax.

"Severus, go show Sirius your room," Eileen said.

_Does she mean what I think she means?_

"This way," Severus said. He bumped Sirius' arm with his own and led him up the stairs. They walked in silence, Sirius trying to think of something to say that would make this whole situation right. Severus took him down a hallway then turned left and walked down another hall. Sirius was vaguely aware of all the great artifacts and architecture he was walking by, but his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his fiancé.

_I wonder if we'll get along better now. Nothing has changed except for the fact that we're engaged and aren't allowed to hex each other. Do his parents hate him too? I bet they do, that's why they agreed to marry him off to me. What is he really like? He doesn't look the same as he does at school, I wonder if he acts the same…_

He was brought out of his musings by Severus tapping him on the shoulder.

"This is it," he said, while opening the door.

The room looked nothing like what Sirius had imagined. Instead of being all black, or decorated with Slytherin colors, it was a pleasant white and light green. The room was spacious with oversized windows that let in plenty of light. There was also a door leading to a balcony, which overlooked the lake he had seen earlier.

While the room took his breath away, he couldn't help but be horrified by some of the smaller details. There were papers scattered over the desk and CDs littered the dresser. Sirius' bags were neatly put away in one corner, and one of the closet doors and been left open; revealing not only his but another's clothing. The bed was queen sized and had been freshly made to perfection.

Sirius would be sharing a room with his worst enemy.

"You mentioned you wanted to talk before," Severus said, making his way to the bed and getting comfortable. In the process of doing so he slipped his robe off, revealing form fitting trousers and a skin tight shirt.

_Damn…he has a great body. For a guy that is._ "Yes, we need to learn to at least tolerate each other."

"You stay on your side of the room and I stay on mine. There, problem solved."

"You're not going to at least try to get along?"

Severus gave in an incredulous look, "For the past six years you've treated me like crap for no reason other than the fact that I was in Slytherin. Getting engaged doesn't change that fact, and it doesn't change you."

"But for the next ten years-"

"For the next ten years we will uphold the marriage contract, that's all. Afterwards we'll go our separate ways, I'll take custody of our son, and you can go do whatever it is I'm stopping you from doing."

"You're not stopping me from doing anything!" Sirius refuted.

"Really?" Severus asked. "I know enough legilimency to read the thoughts at the forefront of your mind, and all you can think about every time you see me is how you won't be able to travel the world, become an Unspeakable, have a fairytale wedding, and that sort of rubbish."

"You're making that up."

"How else would I know you've been admiring my ass ever since I took off that robe?"

"I have no—OK, maybe a little. But can't we just try to get along?"

"No."

"But-"

"No." Severus gave him a look, one that he was sure he'd be getting a lot in the next few years, and Sirius stopped trying to argue.

"You're right. Just being engaged isn't a reason to suddenly become best friends. But it does change our relationship, and we should try to work harder on it."

Severus chose to ignore his comment and instead reached for one of the bedside drawers. For a moment Sirius thought he was going to pull out some kind of weapon, but instead he came away with a small case.

"You wear contacts?" he asked, which he realized was rather dumb of him a moment later.

"Yes, my eyes are obviously different than what you're used to seeing at Hogwarts." He swirled some liquid around the lenses and inserted them into his eyes. When he looked up Sirius was gazing at two pitch black orbs. "Don't just stand in the doorway like an idiot," he was told. "This is your room too now."

Sirius cautiously made his way over to the other side of the bed and sat down. It was comfortable, but it wasn't going to be enough to make sleeping with Severus less awkward. _Maybe if I go out of my way to spend time with him he'll try to work with me on this._ Sirius didn't know why it was so important that Severus like him, he just knew that they needed to get along to make this situation bearable. Perhaps bearable wasn't the right word, Severus' solution would ensure their arrangement was bearable. They needed to get along for the next decade to be somewhat enjoyable.

"So…" Sirius started. He soon realized he had nothing to say.

"So…" Severus mimicked, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you-" Sirius was interrupted by voices in the hall.

"Are you two playing nice?" Francesco shouted. He appeared in the doorway a moment later with Graziella, Alexandria, and Matteo trailing behind him. "I thought you might want that tour now," he said, grinning.

"Sure," Sirius said, standing up a little too quickly.

"Come with us Severus," Francesco said.

"I've already seen the house," Severus retorted, "I live here remember?"

"Yes, and you know the most about the history, architecture, and decorative stuff which is why you'll be conducting the tour."

"I doubt he's into that kind of stuff."

"Actually," Sirius interjected, "I love history."

"See Severus," Francesco said, "your fiancé isn't an uneducated heathen."

"You said that about me?" Sirius asked. Severus didn't give him a verbal response, but turned bright red and hid his face.

"He's been practicing legilimency for a while," Francesco explained, "I just thought it'd be fair to even the playing field, so to speak."

"So can I get that tour Severus?" Sirius asked. Without looking at him Severus got up and walked to the door.

"If you want me to show you around you better hurry," Severus said after Sirius had been standing still for a few minutes. And he definitely hadn't been admiring Severus from behind.

_That's going to get distracting,_ he thought. He shook his head and followed his fiancé like a lost puppy, which, he thought, was exactly what he was.

The small group had just reached the fourth floor of the mansion. Severus was an amazing tour guide; Sirius had never seen him so passionate about anything before. He knew not only the history of the house and every artifact in it, but the stories behind the people who had brought them here and the people who created them. He was especially excited by the art collection. At some point during the tour he had removed his contacts, and his beautiful eyes blazed as he described the techniques some Russian artist had used while painting a rather droll portrait of a ballerina.

"The woman he was in love with was a dancer, you see," Severus explained, "but she died from tuberculosis and he was heartbroken. For the next twenty-five years he went to different dance schools, hoping to find another lover but only found subjects for his work. This made him bitter, but he was hoping that his paintings would draw crowds of other dancers, or at the very least invitations to visit dance troupes. When he was in his sixties, and still without a wife, he developed arthritis and could no longer paint. He hung himself from a tree next to where his sweetheart had been buried."

Sirius had noticed a common trend to all the stories Severus told with such passion. They were all about lovers who experienced misfortune. The stories about dukes, kinds, and conquistadors were told with as much knowledge but in a voice bordering on monotone. It made Sirius wonder if someone had hurt his fiancé in the past.

"I don't think Annalise was his true love," Severus mused. It took Sirius a moment to realize that Annalise was the name of the artist's lover. "If she had been, he would have committed suicide after she passed. I think his love was painting; only he didn't realize it until it was too late." Severus was running his fingers along the edge of the frame, being careful not to breathe on the painting. His face was softened and his eyes were burning quietly; Sirius decided he liked the way his fiancé looked when he was passionate about him.

_Too bad he's not that passionate about our marriage,_ Sirius thought. It wasn't as if Sirius was jumping for joy, but the least Severus could do was try to make the best of the situation.

At that moment Severus realized he was not alone, and he hastily straightened up and motioned for Sirius to follow him to the next room.

"Wait!" Graziella exclaimed. Sirius had almost forgotten the others were there; they had barely said a word since the tour began.

"What is it?" Severus asked.

"Show him the storage room," she said.

"Why? There's nothing interesting in there."

"You're kidding right? That's where the servants of the Duke of Nanook hid when the mansion was being invaded. It's the reason they were the only ones to survive. Everyone underestimates a simple pantry."

"Fine," Severus huffed. He grabbed Sirius by the arm, opened the pantry door, and set Sirius in front of it. "There," he said, "you've seen it. Now we can go on to-"

Sirius never got to find out what they would have gone on to because Vito and Alexandria took the opportunity to push the couple into the room and lock the door. Since it used to be a pantry, the door had a bolt lock on the outside.

"Damn it!" Severus exclaimed. "I should have known. The mansion has never been raided!"

"Well you're not coming out of here until you make up—or rather, make out," Vito said from the other side of the door. His voice was rather muffled, which indicated that no one four floors below would hear them.

"I can't believe someone invented a spell for that," Severus moaned. "Alright, this is just like our engagement ritual. Let's just get this over with," he said. He had reached for Sirius when Vito's voice came through again.

"And this time, you have to mean it!"

The two of them listened to the sounds of the others laughing and walking away. _The bastards,_ Sirius thought. On the other hand, this gave Sirius an opportunity to get to know the other boy better, and since they were in an enclosed space this time Severus would have to listen to him.

"Do you have a watch on?" Severus asked.

"No, why?"

"To see how long we have until dinner! Someone's bound to realize we're missing by then."

"Oh."

"Oh? Is that all you have to say?"

"Well what do you want me to say?"

"How about: I'm sorry you have to spend what are supposed to be the best years of your life bound to the person who's made your life hell since you started Hogwarts?"

"I've never been that bad! And it's not like you were all sugar candies and rainbows."

"You started it."

"What are you, five?"

"No, I'm a very angry sixteen year old who's willing to go to Azkaban if it means getting out of here! I can't believe I ever hoped being married to you would be somewhat OK!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're an egotistical prat who enjoys watching others suffer. You're a bloody hypocrite for believing all purebloods are stereotypical fools. You're spoiled by the headmaster because you're in Gryffindor, and now you think the rest of the world has to bow to your whims. You're-"

"I am not! You're the one who hates anything to do with muggles or non-pureblood Slytherins! You walk around school thinking you're better than everyone else just because your dad's got family money, and that he can get you into any university you want. Worst of all, you're not even willing to work to make this relationship bearable, ever heard of 'turn the other cheek?'"

"That's rich, considering you're the one who pranks every Slytherin just because of their house badge, and the fact that you know Dumbledore will consider it to be 'all in good fun.' And do you want to know why we're engaged in the first place? It's because you told the entire school I was gay!"

Sirius, who was about to yell out his rebuttal, stopped and looked at Severus' face. Even though it was dark, he could tell the other boy meant every word he had said. And if he wanted to be honest with himself, he was the one who had started hexing Slytherins just to prove he wasn't like them. It was how he had gotten his roommates to agree to give him a chance. Perhaps he was a little biased, and so was the headmaster who had let him get away with everything he'd done since first year.

He hadn't meant to tell people that Severus was gay, and he still didn't know if it was true. While walking into the Great Hall one morning he had speculated about the Slytherin's sexuality and had been overheard by a fourth year Ravenclaw. Deciding the opportunity was too good to pass up, he had confirmed seeing Severus making out with an unidentified Slytherin and the rumor had spread like wildfire. Even though homosexuality was more acceptable in the wizarding world than the muggle one people still looked down on it. Severus was treated like crap for the next couple of weeks, even by his own housemates.

Two weeks before the end of term Severus had disappeared. No one knew what had happened to him, and Sirius hadn't given it much thought until now. Had the boy gone into hiding because of the way he was treated? Perhaps that was why he had been chosen to marry Severus. Vito and Eileen would want justice for the way people looked at their son, and Walburga and Orion would've been happy to ensure Sirius would be miserable.

"I'm sorry," he said. _Damn, _he thought, _if it's my fault we're in this situation, then it's definitely my responsibility to make sure things run as smooth as possible_.

"Yeah, well apology not accepted," Severus muttered. He had retreated to the far corner of the pantry, but that still meant he was close enough for Sirius to touch.

"Look," Sirius told him, "I know I've been an ass, and I'm probably still going to be sometimes, but if I can try to be a better person do you think you could too? Like I said, ten years is a long time; we should make an effort to get along well, especially if we have to bring a kid into the world."

Severus observed him in the dark. "You have no idea what you did, do you?" he asked softly.

"What? What did I do?"

"After you-never mind. You'll find out eventually, and now isn't the time. I'll agree to play nice, but only if you do too."

"That sounds fair. Do you think we could also get to know each other a little better?"

"How do you propose we do that?"

Sirius thought about how he had gotten to know his friends. "Ever heard of the game twenty questions?"

"Yes, but I don't see how that will help."

"Well, instead of asking questions about a person or thing and trying to figure out who it is, we'll ask questions about each other. They have to be yes or no questions, but you also have to elaborate on your answer."

"And how do we know if the other is answering truthfully?"

"We'll just have to trust each other."

"Alright, you ask first." Severus said, after mulling over the idea. He obviously had no clue what kind of questions could be asked.

Instead of abusing the position he was in by asking something embarrassing, Sirius decided to start slow. Severus had always been good at potions, so it would make sense if he were to continue working in that field. "Do you want to become a potions master?"

"No," Severus replied. From the smirk on his face he obviously knew he had shocked Sirius. "I'm only good in that class because I study, and because I've been cooking since I was five," he explained. "I either want to be an artist or devote my life to charity work."

Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing. A Slytherin working for the benefit of others? He had clearly misjudged the boy.

"My turn," Severus said, "since you started with plans after Hogwarts, do you really want to become an auror?"

That one was easy. "No," Sirius told him, "I only ever wanted to do it because it's what James wants. I've been thinking about it lately and I might want to be an Unspeakable, but I really don't know what else is out there. Nothing we've discussed at Hogwarts has ever sparked my interest. I do want to travel though."

"I never imagined you would want to leave England," Severus admitted.

"When I was younger I thought the same thing. Then I became friends with James, and he would tell me about all the wonderful places he'd go to every holiday. It made me want to go see all those places for myself. My turn: have you ever wanted to travel?"

Severus thought about it for a moment. "I definitely want to see what's out there in the world, but I don't we have the same definition of traveling. It sounds like you want to live in a bunch of different places and just absorb the culture. As amazing as that sounds, I want to go to impoverished areas and help make a difference, while visiting all the museums and historic sites in that country of course."

"I never thought you to be the charitable type."

"There's a lot you don't know about me yet." The word "yet" hung in the air like an unspoken promise. With that word Severus had agreed to a truce: both boys would lay their weapons down and attempt to come out of this unfortunate circumstance as better people.

Without thinking, Sirius grabbed Severus and spun him around; at least, he attempted to. In his excitement over the truce he had forgotten they were in a cramped space, which resulted in Severus being smacked against the door with Sirius' weight resting on him.

Sirius could feel the other boy breathing. They were so close he could make out those glorious eyes in the almost-pitch darkness. Those eyes entranced him for some reason; once he looked into them he couldn't look away. He leaned it to try and see their colors in the dark, which ended up in him brushing his lips against Severus'.

_Wow, his lips are really supple_, Sirius thought. He turned his head the other way to catch them again. _I wonder if he always kisses as good as he did the other night_.

Sirius put a light pressure on Severus' lips with his own. Again, there were no sparks or fireworks or whatever people in love were supposed to see. But kissing Severus felt good, especially when the boy kissed him back.

_This is even better than three days ago,_ Sirius decided. Severus gently scraped the Sirius' lower lip with his teeth, which resulted in Sirius flicking his tongue out, begging for entry into his fiancé's mouth. Severus parted his lips slightly, allowing their tongues to brush against each other. Severus ran his tongue across Sirius' upper teeth, creating shockwaves of pleasure that travelled to a very inconvenient area.

Severus pulled back a little and Sirius blushed in the darkness; even though he couldn't see very well he knew his fiancé had his eyebrow raised. The awkward moment passed, however, and Severus' lips were back on his own. They kissed at a leisurely pace and only stood close enough for their bodies to brush against each other when one of them took a deep breath. Sirius was taking advantage of that by inhaling as deep as he could every chance he got.

After a few moments of what would have been considered innocent kisses with anyone else, Sirius brought his hands up to Severus' waist. The two promptly fell out of the pantry and on to the cold marble floor in the hallway.

"_And this time, you have to mean it!"_ Vito's words rang in Sirius' ear. There was no way the door could have opened if they weren't right for each other…or was there? He certainly didn't feel anything towards the Slytherin; besides dislike, mild curiosity, and physical attraction that is.

Severus had started to get up off the floor. His expression didn't indicate they had just been making out in a closet, and Sirius had to wonder if he had somehow imagined the incident when their eyes met.

"Oh for Merlin's sake," Severus said, "it was just a kiss!" Sirius couldn't believe he could say that.

"But the door-Vito said-"

"The spell can't read emotion, only physical reaction," Severus told him. "You took care of that for us," he said, looking down at Sirius on the floor.

Sirius felt very uncomfortable with where Severus' gorgeous eyes were pointing. "Right, well I'm going to go-"

"What are you, twelve? We're supposed to produce an heir, I suspect that's going to require me seeing more than an outline through your clothes."

Sirius blushed. "Do you have to be so nonchalant about it?"

"You're a guy; things happen. Besides, it's not like we have feelings for each other."

"But still, we're talking about-"

"Boys are you up there?" Eileen called. Sirius had never been so grateful to the woman. He got up and walked past Severus, who had still not shown any indication of being shaken up by what had happened.

_He's probably used to it, _Sirius thought, _with those eyes and legs. At least I know having kids won't be that much of a problem._

AN: So the way this chapter turned out got me thinking: the rating is probably going to go up in later chapters. I'll clearly mark off the parts that are rated 'M' and any mature content will be tastefully done (meaning no sex just for the sake of writing/reading it). However, if you guys have strong objections to me increasing the rating please let me know.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sirius was bored. Since arriving at Valhalla two days ago he had gotten his assignments for three classes done and even read a history book in the Snape library. He had only spoken to Severus when absolutely necessary, and even though they shared a bed there hadn't been a repeat of the closet incident. Though he had received letters from James, Remus, and Peter he couldn't bring himself to reply. If he did he feared he would blurt out his confusion over what was happening.

Even though he didn't like it, he would be walking down the aisle with Severus in less than a year. There was physical attraction between them, at least on Sirius' part, and they didn't fight the way they did at Hogwarts, but it wasn't enough. Sirius wanted sparks to fly; that's what being in Gryffindor had taught him about marriage and relationships in general. Unfortunately, he doubted time would remedy the situation.

Giovanni, Lucia, and their families had left the day before with plenty of hugs and kisses to go around. If Sirius had been marrying anyone else he would have thought himself lucky to be a part of a family that loved each other so much. He had only known them for a few weeks, but the Snapes, with the possible exclusion of Sylvia, had accepted him with arms wide open. Unlike his own family they didn't ostracize him for being a Gryffindor nor did they make degrading comments about people who were different. He could hardly believe his parents could get along with people like them.

With a sigh, Sirius decided it was time to try to talk to his fiancé. The only human contact he had had since he got to Valhalla was with the whole family at meal times; otherwise, he just stayed on his own in the room. Severus had said something earlier about going to the gym, and although the boy had never finished giving him a tour he knew the room was somewhere on the fifth floor.

The Snape family home was actually a fourteenth century fortress used by the English during the Second war of Scottish Independence. One of Eileen's ancestors had bought the building and the land in the early 1800s, but the house hadn't been renovated until about fifty years ago. Severus' grandparents had been the first people to live in it; Vito and Eileen were responsible for turning it into what it was today.

As much as he admired the mansion for its history and art, Severus would not be inheriting it unless Francesco passed away without an heir. Instead, as per the marriage agreement, the Black and Snape parents would be finding the couple a home before the wedding.

Reluctantly, Sirius got up and went to look for his fiancé. After fifteen minutes of running from room to room on the fifth floor he finally found the gym. It was filled with typical muggle gym equipment, since Vito didn't believe in using magic to enhance oneself. Severus was running on a treadmill, with some rock music blasting from the radio.

Sirius took a few moments to observe his future husband at peace. Severus's hair was loosely tied up, but tendrils of it had fallen out to frame his face; he wasn't wearing contacts again, and his cheeks had a slight flush to them. He was running rather fast and had barely broken a sweat. Sirius didn't realize how long he had been standing there watching until the radio stopped and Severus turned around.

"What is it?" he asked Sirius.

"I—nothing," he replied, shaken out of his own mind, "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Were you staring at my ass again?"

"No!"

"My legs then? You've really got to stop doing that, people are starting to notice."

"I'm telling you the truth, I just want to talk," Sirius tried explaining.

"Meaning you want to have sex."

"I—what? No!"

Severus gave him the infamous look, "With you 'Let's get along' always leads to your tongue down my throat."

"So stay on the other side of the room. Besides, I wouldn't want to make out with you anyway," he lied, "you're all sweaty and gross."

Severus opened his mouth to respond, paused, and looked Sirius in the eye. "Liar," he said dryly.

"OK, so maybe I do kind of want to kiss you," Sirius admitted, "but that's just 'cause I haven't done it with a girl since school let out."

"And I was ready to make out with you to get you to leave," Severus muttered. Sirius wasn't sure whether he had been meant to hear that or not. "For the last time, this engagement changes nothing. We still hate each other as much as we do at Hogwarts; I don't get why you can't see that."

"Because everything has changed!" Sirius shouted. "You can't just ignore me for the next ten years and you can't hate me!"

"Why not!" Severus shouted back, "You've treated me like shit for the past six years; I'm not going to magically forget that. And here's a newsflash for you: this is an arranged marriage! All I have to do is carry out my parents' end of the deal!"

"So you're just going to lie on your back for the next ten years? Just to get some of daddy's money?"

"Take that back," Severus warned. His eyes were dark now, and he was breathing heavily, but Sirius looked the same.

"No! Here's a newsflash for you: we're going to have to communicate at some point! We're going to have to have sex, and a kid! This isn't just about us; we have to be good parents!"

"What do you know about being a good parent? You're just going to leave after ten years anyway, it's best for our child to know you don't care about him from the beginning. And don't even pretend that that's not true!"

Sirius inhaled sharply. It was true; he did want to start his life anew once the contract was filled. But hearing it put that way made it sound like a monster. Severus was going to make everyone think he was a horrible human being, and there was nothing he could do to make people see his point if that happened.

Something inside Sirius snapped; he stepped forward and pushed Severus as hard as he could. He had forgotten how little his fiancé weighed compared to himself. Severus went flying backwards, crashing into a piece of gym equipment and landing in a heap on the floor. He had let out a quick shout of pain when making contact with the chunk of metal. Now he just stayed on the floor, breathing heavily and glaring at Sirius with all the hatred in the world.

Sirius had frozen as soon as he had realized what he did. He has watched with horror as Severus fell to the floor. He could barely process that he had struck the boy—his fiancé. Even though his parents encompassed all that was evil they had always taught him to never hit someone he was expected to care about.

"Severus...I—" he stammered. He couldn't think let alone speak coherently at the moment.

"You what?" Severus spat. "Are you sorry? You've been shoving me into walls and hexing me at every given opportunity. Am I supposed to believe you suddenly developed a conscience?"

Sirius just stood still, his mouth hanging open and his eyes glazed as he replayed the scene, and Severus' words, over and over again.

"Face it; you just let yourself go back to being the person you always have been. Like I said: nothing has changed."

Sirius took a step backwards and attempted to say something, but all that came out was a garbled sound. He couldn't stand being in the room anymore. He wasn't aware of turning away, but he knew he was racing towards the door. As he reached it he glanced back at Severus, who was slowly standing up. Without any further hesitation he ran back to their room and slammed the door behind him.

He threw himself on the bed, but couldn't stay still. He started pacing the length of the room, but couldn't handle moving around either. Sirius let out a shout of frustration. He still couldn't believe what he had done. Worse, Severus seemed to have expected it of him.

_I just became a worse husband than my father ever was,_ he thought,_ I just became a worse husband than any Slytherin has ever been_. _What are my friends going to think? They can't find out about this. What about my parents? What about Vito and Eileen? _

Contrary to what he had originally thought, he actually valued the other Snapes as future family members. To have them against him would be painful, especially since he would be married to their son for the next ten years.

As he was freaking out he alternated between sitting on the chair, lying on the bed, and running around the room: willingly slamming himself into walls, banging his head on the desk, and even pulling his hair. This had resulted in quite a large mess, and when Sirius' breathing had returned to its normal rate he realized that the least he could do was clean up after himself. Doing manual labor, no matter how small the task, might even help him to clear his head.

Clothing, CDs, books, and various memorabilia had fallen from the walls and other surfaces in the room. He was working as fast as possible to pick up the numerous items from the floor when it struck him that this was the most he had ever learned about Severus. Picking up his fiancé's things had filled him in on the fact that the other boy enjoyed both rock and classical music, was trying to learn Spanish and Greek, had amazing talent as an artist, and was happy when surrounded by friends. The pictures that he had never looked at before showed a completely different side of Severus than he was used to. There were pictures of the boy dancing, striking ridiculous poses, and generally doing things that Sirius considered completely normal for himself to do but had never imagined his fiancé doing.

He had finished cleaning most of the room when there was a knock on the door.

"Sirius?" Vito's voice called, "Can I come in?" The man was speaking softly and didn't sound angry even though Sirius had manhandled his youngest son.

Sirius considered telling him to go away, but it didn't seem like the right thing to do after what happened earlier. Plus, this house belonged to the man anyway, so it wouldn't do any good to deny him entry. "Yes," he called, silently praying that Vito wouldn't be too mad.

His future father-in-law strolled in and sat on the bed, patting the spot next to him as a hint. Sirius joined him, apprehensive of being so close to the man after what he had done. They sat in silence for a minute or two while Vito appeared to be choosing his words.

"I'm not angry with you," the man said finally. "I am a little mad that you could have seriously hurt my son, and disappointed that you would even consider acting the way you did, but I want you to know that I understand." Sirius' confusion must have been apparent because he continued. "I understand that this is hard for you; on Severus' last day of school we got a letter saying the two of you had tried to duel in the Great Hall, and now the two of you are engaged and expected to get along perfectly.

"I want you to know that Eileen and I don't think you're going to become best friends all of a sudden, or even lovers for that matter." Sirius' face was slightly pink at this point. "This is a big adjustment in itself, and having to marry someone you never got along with before makes it even harder. I am honestly sorry that you have to go through this right now, but your parents and I really do believe it's for the best."

"My parents hate me," Sirius muttered under his breath. He had forgotten that Vito was close enough to hear him.

"They don't actually," he said with a sad smile. "You're just being a typical petulant teenager who thinks their parents are out to get them. All of my children except Julia have gone through that phase. I've spoken to Orion and Walburga on numerous occasions, and even though they don't agree with some of the things you've done they really do want the best for you. And that includes you being happy."

"Except they want me to be happy doing what they want me to do," Sirius argued.

Vito thought about that for a moment. "That's true, but did you ever consider they don't understand the things you want? It's very different now than when they were your age; they simply can't see that things considered wrong twenty years ago are perfectly acceptable now."

"That still doesn't explain why they're making me marry Severus, no offense to you. I've always hated him and they know it."

"Sometimes parents see things that their kids don't. Sometimes you've just got to accept their decisions and try to make the best of it."

"I did!" Sirius shouted. Shouting brought back memories of the fight. "I tried to like Severus," he said more softly, "he just wouldn't give me a chance."

"Perhaps that's because you weren't actually interested in him," Vito explained. "You just considered him your fiancé, not an actual person."

Sirius mulled over that for a moment. Vito was right. He had only been interesting in making the next decade bearable, but didn't care about Severus beyond that. "I don't want to get married," he exclaimed suddenly, "never have and I don't think I ever will."

Vito chuckled at that, "I was the same way. Even after I met Eileen I thought I wanted to be single forever."

"Then what changed?"

"I realized that being single didn't have as many benefits. Eileen made me happy, even when I wasn't standing right next to her. She was there for me whenever I needed someone and I wanted to be there for her."

"Yeah, but you two fell in love. This is an arranged marriage."

"Given time, I'm sure you and Severus will learn to get along. I actually think you two are perfect for each other, if you would give it a chance."

"Is that why you decided to create the marriage contract?" Sirius asked. Finally, he thought he would get some answers.

"That was one of the reasons," Vito admitted. "But there were many others. I'm afraid I can't tell you the others."

"Why not?" Sirius hated to sound so demanding, but he needed to know why he was being forced to give up his life and his dreams.

"They're not mine to share," Vito explained. "You should ask Severus what he knows about this though." Sirius was about to argue when his future father-in-law stood up. "I'll leave you alone now," he said, "you should probably take care of the mess or Severus will have another reason to be mad at you."

Sirius walked with him to the door and hesitated before shutting him out. "Thank you," he finally said, "for everything."

"Anytime," Vito said, "you're family now, you're going to get my advice whether you want it or not." He walked down the hall and Sirius pondered over all he had said before shutting the door and turning back to the remaining mess.

All he had to do was put the books back on the shelves. There weren't that many of them, since most books were in the library; these were just the ones Severus read most frequently. They were mostly Shakespearean age plays, collections of poems, and eighteenth century literature. He knew Severus organized his books by author, so he was relatively sure no one would notice they had been moved.

He was doing well until he came to a book with no title or author on the cover. The book was smaller than the others, and had a plain blue cover. Despite his feeling of foreboding Sirius opened it. Instead of print, like he had expected, there was writing on all of the pages.

This was Severus' diary.

Sirius knew he should shut the book, leave it on the shelf, and hope his fiancé didn't think he had read any of it. But he wanted so badly to know what was going on behind those beautiful and mysterious eyes. He checked to make sure the door was locked, and then leaned against the wall and began to read.

_December 22_

_I swear Julia and Luca are going to drive me insane! They've been pestering me about Christmas gifts for the better part of a week now. Whatever happened to children believing in Santa Claus?_

_I have to admit that I'm glad to be home. As much as it pains me to say it, I absolutely love my family. Not that I'd ever admit it to their face. Coming to Italy is the highlight of my vacations. Even though I don't get to see my friends from school I do get to visit all the people I've met in Florence over the years. The museums are a plus too. _

_ It's so different here! I wonder what I would think of Britain if I had been raised here…_

Sirius skipped a few pages, looking at the dates. It seemed Severus didn't write in the journal every day. Sirius didn't want to admit it, but he was looking for an entry that mentioned him. He finally found one that had occurred sometime in February.

_The self-proclaimed Marauders are at it again. It seems I can't go a month without them harassing me. I know they're hypocritical Slytherin haters, but I don't understand why they focus on me when there are so many other victims available to them._

_To tell the truth, they don't really bother me that much anymore. I'm not sure if I've gotten used to it or if it's just because I have other things going on in my life right now. _

_Derrick is acting weird again. I just don't get it, sometimes he's the nicest guy in the world, but other times, like now, he treats me like a waste of space. Actually, you don't take your anger out on a waste of space, it's more like—_

Sirius didn't get to read what "Derrick" was like because he heard someone fumbling with the door knob. He hastily threw the diary and other books back onto the shelf and ran to the other side of the room. Less than ten seconds later Severus entered, key in hand.

"You can't just lock me out of my own room you know," he said nastily. He looked around and saw the haphazardly stacked books. "Dad warned me you made a mess. Should I trust you didn't cause any actual damage to the books?"

Sirius ignored his comments. "We need to talk," he said.

"I thought we went through this already," Severus replied, "remember? You threw me into a rowing machine and left like the coward you are?"

"I'm sorry," Sirius told him ruefully, "If I could take everything back I would. But we need to come up with a plan."

"A plan?"

"To get through the next ten years, at least," Sirius explained. "It would help if we actually liked each other. From what I've seen so far, I may have misjudged you."

"You saw the Slytherin crest on my robes and decided I wasn't worth anything, I'd say you definitely misjudged me."

"And I'd like to make up for that now," Sirius pleaded.

"How?"

"By getting to know you. You have an army of family members and friends who think you're amazing, and I'd like to see that too."

Severus thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. Nothing you can do will erase the past six years—"

"I know. But ten years is more than six, and maybe they can change our minds about wanting to stay together."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I realized how much of an idiot I've been," Sirius told him. "I realized that you were right about me not being able to suddenly change how I felt about you. But I also realized that you are so much more than a Slytherin."

"And it took bruising me to figure that out?"

"It—did I really bruise you?" Sirius asked. If his actions had caused any marks on that beautiful body he didn't think he could stand himself. Not that Sirius thought Severus was beautiful, he was just slightly good-looking.

Severus had reached behind his back and pulled up his T-shirt. Sure enough, there entire right side of his back was starting to turn purple.

"I am so sorry," Sirius told him again.

"It's not like I wasn't expecting it," Severus reminded him.

"That's no excuse!" Sirius exclaimed, "I shouldn't have done that, and I promise that I'll never do it again. We can ask our parents to work it into the contract."

"The contract has already been written and can't be revised."

"Then I can just give you my promise. I know that doesn't mean much to you right now, but in the future I hope it will."

Severus looked him over. "Something's different about you," he said.

"You're father said we could make a great couple," Sirius admitted, "I want to find out if that's true."

"So this isn't about me at all?"

"No—I mean yes—I mean—" Sirius let out a frustrated sigh. "This has everything to do with you. We've already established that I'm attracted to you physically, so all that's left is an emotional bond. Like you said, I've never thought about you as anything other than a Slytherin. I still have trouble seeing you as more than that, but if we both work together I think we could become friends at the very least."

"Alright," Severus told him, "I'll agree to that for now."

"Thank you. But do you think we'll make a good couple?"

"I don't know," Severus thought for a moment. "When my parents first decided I needed to get married they didn't have my best interests in mind. That part came later."

"Why did they decide to marry you off?" Sirius asked. He thought this would be a good start to getting the answers Vito refused to give.

"I can't tell you that." After a second of hesitation he added, "Maybe when I get to know you better. Until then I'd like to keep this to myself."

Sirius decided he could deal with that, especially since he planned on gaining his trust pretty soon. "How about we continue our game?"

"What game?" In that moment Sirius decided that his fiancé looked adorable when he was confused.

"Twenty questions. It's your turn."

Severus thought for a moment. "There were plenty of other Slytherins, why did you single me out? And why did you tell people I was gay?"

"That counts as two questions," Sirius told him. "The second one is easier to answer: it was an accident. I was just making a joke and someone overheard me. You know Hogwarts; if someone has a secret the rest of the school will know by lunch."

"I still want an answer to the first one."

"Well I don't really know. I guess we were just looking for an easy victim and you were the first person we found. After that we just kept coming back because you were the only one that ever put up a fight."

"I see," Severus didn't really look satisfied with the answers. In fact, he looked like he had just tasted something bitter, which was another expression Sirius found endearing. He supposed every expression would look nice on a boy whose expression was set in stone for ten months of the year though. "It's your turn," Severus reminded him.

"Are you really gay?" Sirius blurted out without thinking. He needed to know because—well, he just needed to know.

"Kind of," Severus told him, "I'm bisexual."

"Is that why you took the rumor so hard?"

"Yes, because I couldn't deny it. If I could I would have, and then people wouldn't have acted the way they did."

"I'm sorry."

"You said that already," Severus told him. He had no humor in his voice, but his eyes were sparkling for the first time in days.

Sirius was about to tell his fiancé how thankful he was for this opportunity, but was interrupted by an overeager house elf telling them it was time for lunch. That was probably a good thing, because Sirius wasn't so sure Severus could take so many niceties in an hour.

"Shall we?" he asked instead, offering his arm out.

Severus rolled his eyes and left the room.

_This treaty doesn't seem like it'll last long_, Sirius thought, before running after his fiancé. He really didn't want to get lost on the way to the dining room again.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Thank you to my wonderful reviewers and followers. My life is now complete because of you. Also, I used Google translate for the Italian, so there are definitely some mistakes in there. Enjoy!

Chapter 8

The week was almost over; Sirius was glad to be getting away from the awkwardness of Valhalla, but he was also sad to be leaving the company he had come to enjoy. It was almost a good thing he was going to be stuck with the Snapes for the next decade.

Even though they had made the pact to be civil Severus had barely spoken to him. They didn't fight anymore, but they hadn't gotten to know each other better either. Sirius was curious about the other boy; all he knew was that he wanted to do something related to art, history, or charity and that he was frustrated with someone named Derrick.

It had been a great day for Sirius so far. He had woken up before Severus, for the first time, and definitely hadn't watched the boy sleep as he got ready. Severus had been lightly pressed against his side, with his hair splayed out over the pillow and his features relaxed. Though Sirius loathed admitting it, his fiancé looked absolutely stunning without any effort at all. After realizing he had been staring for at least five minutes he ran to the bathroom for a cold shower.

When he returned he glanced at the clock to see it was only seven. Severus had shifted so his head was now on Sirius' pillow, and he had slightly curled around the pocket of warmth Sirius had left behind. This was the perfect opportunity to observe the boy without him knowing, and Sirius had taken full advantage of that.

Unlike his fiancé, Severus wore a shirt to sleep. The extra-large shirt and sweatpants might have made anyone else look frumpy and unattractive, but Sirius was—only slightly—curious to see what was under the fabric. The shirt had ridden up on Severus' chest, and the pants were rather low on his waist; it was apparent that the boy had a perfectly toned body, even though not all of it was visible. And it wasn't like Sirius wished it was.

Not wanting to take another shower, Sirius had quickly brushed his hair and joined Eileen in the breakfast room. She looked surprised to see him up and about so early, but did nothing besides raise her eyebrow—Sirius now knew where his future husband had learned the look.

He sat down and helped himself to a bagel and omelet, served on the finest china of course. Since Eileen was in the room he took care to actually use his silverware instead of just shoveling food into his mouth like he did as Hogwarts.

"Se avesse usato quei costumi intorno Severus forse sarebbero d'accordo," Sylvia said. Sirius still had no idea what she was saying; however, he had learned some simple greetings from Vito and Eileen. Severus still hadn't agreed to teach him Italian.

"E 'solo una ragazzo mamma. Sii gentile con lui," Eileen replied. He considered asking her how she learned the language.

"Good morning," Severus' voice came through the door, "Buon mattina nonna." He kissed his mother and grandmother and sat down a seat away from Sirius.

"Aren't you going to greet your fiancé?" Eileen asked with another raise of her eyebrow.

Severus looked like he would rather drink pond scum; nevertheless, he moved over a seat and turned to Sirius, who was about to say good morning to him. That resulted in Severus' quick peck meant for the cheek landing on the lips. Sirius leaned forward slightly to deepen the kiss, but the other boy had pulled back and was now filling his plate.

Sirius focused his attention on his own food and ignored the pleased look from Eileen and bitter one from Sylvia.

"Il ragazzo deve imparare a tenere le mani a se stesso," Sylvia said. The other occupants of the table just ignored her. Sirius finished off his plate and stood up to leave, but was interrupted by his future mother-in-law.

"Wait! I have something to tell you and Severus."

_Great,_ Sirius thought, _the last time I heard those words I found out we were engaged. I wonder what she'll say this time_.

"As you know, you're engagement party will be at the end of the summer. It'll be here at Valhalla—much more personal that way I think—but other than that we'd like for you two to plan it. Together," she said, looking at Severus as she stressed the last word. "Since we're pressed for time you should get started today. Think of it as practice for the wedding."

Sirius, who had no idea how to plan a party, sat back down and waited for Severus to finish eating. Eileen had escorted Sylvia out of the room, with the old woman muttering under her breath the whole time.

"Sì, lasciamo il delinquente per sfruttare il mio nipotino," was the last thing Sirius had heard before the door shut behind them. Severus was eating at a rather slow pace, and he suspected it had something to do with having to communicate with each other.

Although it had only been about twenty minutes, it felt like an hour before Severus stood up and looked to Sirius.

"Are you coming or not?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm right behind you."

"I'm guessing you have no experience planning any sort of civilized social events."

"Hey! I've helped organize every Gryffindor victory party."

"I said 'civilized' events." Sirius scowled, but refused to comment. If he did it would eventually lead to him confessing all he had done was buy beer, and he wanted to act like he would be somewhat useful.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't get the chance to play pretend. As soon as they sat down in the sunroom and spread out Eileen's 'helpful' notebooks Sirius realized he did not know how to take care of anything relating to his wedding. And that included his fiancé.

Severus was close to hyperventilating; apparently they were going to have to work overtime to get this shindig planned. Not that Severus had used the word "shindig."

"No one bothered creating the guest list, which means we pretty much can't do anything else. We have to get caterers, florists, rentals, music, and a whole bunch of other people and the best ones are booked at least a year in advance! How are we—I mean, how am I supposed to plan a spectacular event if I can't get good service?" He seemed to be talking to himself at this point, having long forgotten Sirius was even in the room.

Sirius decided it was time to act the part of the loving fiancé. "Relax, you'll do great. Everyone will be talking about this for years to come, and I'll be right here to do whatever you order me to."

"Does that include jumping off the tower?"

"No," Sirius said firmly. Deciding to go another route, he slowly approached the other boy and raised his hands, intending to prove he meant no harm. Severus observed him for a moment, and then gave him a questioning look which Sirius assumed to mea he could approach. He walked up behind his fiancé and gently grabbed his wrists. Severus stopped attacking his own hair long enough for Sirius to lower his arms and then put his hands on the boy's shoulders. He gently massaged his neck and spoke encouraging words into his ear.

"I never told you this, but you are absolutely beautiful. When you sleep you look like an angel, when you work out you look like God's gift to mankind, and when you're angry all I want to do is kiss the scowl off your face."

"Nice try," Severus told him, "But I'm not sleeping with you until you help out with planning our wedding." He stressed the "our" and pierced Sirius with his sparkling eyes.

"I—" Sirius considered trying to deny the accusation, but something about the way Severus was looking at him screamed legilimancy. Instead he pulled up a chair and sat down. "So what do we do first?"

"Have you been listening to a word I've said?"

_No,_ Sirius thought, _I've been watching your lips move and thinking about how hot you are. It almost makes up for your horrible personality._

"We need to come up with a guest list. However," he said, pausing as he gave his idea more thought, "we could decide on some of the basic details."

"Like what?"

"Colors, menu, and other things like that. We could also sort through the list of vendors my mother gave us and come up with the top three."

"OK, that sounds like a good start. And don't worry about anyone being booked; I'm sure they'll all drop everything for a chance to work the Black-Snape wedding." Severus didn't respond, but took out a book of color swatches and started holding them up against each other. "I like those," he said, trying to be encouraging.

Severus scoffed, "Orange and lime green? For a traditional end of summer wedding? I don't think so." Sirius gave him a sheepish look. "Here's a quill, why don't you start your guest list?"

"Sure, but only if you promise to let me know what you're thinking."

The two worked side by side in silence. It was nice, feeling comfortable and somewhat happy. Sirius reasoned that he could only feel this way when Severus wasn't talking to him; it seemed like the other boy only ever insulted him.

"Here are the choices for colors," Severus announced after some time had passed. He pushed a bunch of the swatches towards Sirius. "It's between gold and silver, blue and purple, and red and blue."

"Gold and silver is too cliché," Sirius said immediately. He didn't have to be a genius to know that. "And isn't purple too…" he trailed off here, hoping Severus wouldn't guess what he had been about to say. He wasn't so lucky.

"Too what? Too gay? I think that ship has sailed."

"No! I meant that I just don't really like purple; red and blue sounds like a great combination. It's modern and classic at the same time."

"I hate the color red."

"Really? Is that just because it's a Gryffindor color?"

"No, it's because I just don't like it. Do you hate purple because it's a 'girly' color?"

"No—"

"How about red and purple?" Severus asked suddenly. Sirius had a feeling he was being bossed around.

"The colors we hate?"

"It seems fitting. Using colors we hate to celebrate our engagement to the person we hate."

"I don't hate you," Sirius tried to tell him.

"Whatever," Severus didn't seem interested in the conversation anymore. He picked up all the other swatches and dumped them on the ground, setting the red and purple ones aside.

_And I had such high hopes for having a say in planning my party,_ Sirius mused.

"How far are you with the guest list?" Severus asked him.

"I've got every member of my family and extended family, and all my friends from school."

"Add the professors and every member of my family that you know. Also, any of your family friends, people your dad works with most often, and people that hang in the same circle as your parents."

Sirius started working on that, only pausing when he realized that Severus had spent the past forty minutes picking out the colors. _I guess he's really into this kind of stuff._ He decided to let his fiancé do pretty much anything he wanted, and would only step in if things got too far out of hand.

Severus was now looking at either caterer or photographers. When Sirius leaned over to check he discovered that it was both. The other boy must have been really good at multitasking, because he was crossing out names and putting stars next to others on both sheets of paper at the same time. Sirius turned his attention back to the work he had been assigned to do and took his time thinking of every single person he knew.

"I know you're probably really engrossed with your work," Sirius said after a few minutes had gone by, "but I think this is a great time to get to know each other."

"Sure," Severus replied. It was doubtful that he actually knew what he had just agreed to.

"Is there anything you want to know about me?"

"Yes," Sirius' heart jumped for joy when he heard that, "where did you learn to be so obnoxious?" His heart sunk lower than it had been before. Then he had an idea.

"Well…my parents decided to raise me as the perfect little Slytherin, and I never really questioned them. Then I went to Hogwarts and met James on the train. We were so alike, and the things he told me about everyone he knew sounded so amazing. Of course, he also told me he was Gryffindor through and through and that everyone in his family had been in Gryffindor. So when it was turn to be sorted I thought about becoming the person he was, and you know how that turned out."

Severus looked mildly amused, but that small grin he was trying to hide could have been a grimace. Either Sirius was making some progress or Severus was in physical pain due to his story.

"My parents weren't too happy about that, as you can imagine. They haven't treated me the same since then. I kind of wish they were more like your parents," he admitted.

"My parents are psychotic idealists who want nothing but perfection," Severus said out of the blue. Sirius' plan was working. "And your parents didn't change. I'm sure they were disappointed that you weren't in Slytherin, but you were the one that began to look at them as if they were evil. You're so conceited you don't even realize that Gryffindors are just as prejudiced, if not more than Slytherins."

"You're parents have been nothing but amazing since I've met them, and I'm not going to touch the comment about houses because I don't want to argue right now."

"I didn't mean that my parents are horrible," Severus explained. "I'm trying to say that my parents have their quirks, but I love them anyway. You're parents are the same, and you need to work on your relationship with them."

"Don't you think it's a bit hypocritical of you to be giving me that advice?"

"No, I think it's smart. You can't stand your parents and you don't have a good reason not to. How're you supposed to work on getting along with me, someone who you've fought with for six years, when you aren't even going to try with them?"

"It's more complicated than that."

"It really isn't; you're just too dense to see it."

"Can we stop with the insults and switch topics? Let's talk about…how about food? We need to come up with a menu don't we?"

"We're not serving cheap beer and elf-made everything sandwiches."

"I didn't know that was an option." Sirius was starting to get headache from all this resistance he was getting. "You're really stressed, can I continue that massage?"

"I'm not having sex with you."

"I know; but I figured it would get you to relax and stop attacking me." Severus didn't refuse, so Sirius got up and started where he left off. He focused on kneading the back of Severus' neck and digging his fingers into the boy's shoulders. After a couple of minutes they both began to relax and Severus pulled some catering files closer.

"We definitely need to serve some Italian dishes," he said. Sirius decided to keep quiet and let his fiancé ask for his opinion. "I'm thinking of an all Italian dessert bar; no cake, since that would make it too similar to an actual wedding."

Sirius hummed with approval, and Severus shifted slightly to give him better access to his upper back. "We'll need a vegetarian dish, two different kinds of meat, and pasta of course. Plus some different sides and salads." He was too busy making columns on the paper in front of him to notice Sirius' hands getting lower and lower.

"You know," Sirius said, bringing his hands back up to where they had originally been, "you should really tell me what it's like being in Slytherin. And what it was like growing up here. That must have been amazing."

"It was," Severus said. His attention was focused on the papers in front of him so it was understandable that he wasn't answering the whole question.

"What about being in Slytherin?"

"I imagine it's no different than being in Gryffindor. Except the people are different and the rest of the school hates us for no reason."

"Is everyone really evil?"

Severus stopped what he had been doing and turned around. "No, I can tell you for a fact that nobody in my house wants to become a mass murderer. We're just children, like you, who don't know what we're going to do with our lives. But because everyone else pushes us away some people have come to rely on the dark arts for their futures."

"So you're blaming me for making all the Slytherins evil?"

"It's not just you; it's everyone else in the school. And only a handful of Slytherins turn out bad. Can you honestly say that there are no rotten eggs in your own house?"

"Not that I can think of."

"That's because no one talks about them. Not to you anyway."

"What do you know?"

"Can't tell you, it's classified information." Sirius decided to let the matter drop for now, but only because they were getting along pretty well. "What do you think of gardenia and phlox?" he asked suddenly. Sirius was taken by surprise.

"What?"

"They're flowers; never mind, I'll look through this myself." Sirius regretted being unhelpful, but continued his massage, which was turning out to be more beneficial to him than Severus. He was tracing the lines of the boy's back and running his hands lower and lower. The other boy still hadn't noticed anything odd.

They sat in silence until Sirius' hands strayed too far down. Severus' only response was an amused smirk, causing Sirius to turn red and remove his hands. He pulled his chair out and sat down again; at least Severus seemed more relaxed now.

The boy had folded his legs under him and was absently chewing on his quill. Every so often he would blow the same strand of hair from his face, only to have to do it again a minute later. Sirius couldn't resist reaching out and pushing the hair away; he told himself it was only because he was trying to get lucky.

Severus had frozen upon contact, but loosened up again when Sirius had retreated. "Derrick used to do that," he muttered under his breath. In a wave of newfound stupidity, Sirius blurted out his question.

"Is that the Derrick you're mad at?"

Severus turned to him. "How did you know that?" he asked. Sirius tried to think of a good excuse, but either he took too long to reply or legilimency was used, because Severus figured it out a moment later.

"You read my journal," he said incredulously. "I can't believe I never thought you'd stoop so low."

"It was an accident!" Sirius pleaded. He had worked so hard for this truce and couldn't stand having to start all over again.

"You accidently opened a book, saw my handwriting in it, and started reading? Nice try."

"I just wanted to learn more about you; you never tell me anything!"

"And why should I? So you can parade around school, telling everyone my life story? So you can tell people what an idiot I was and how Derrick—"

"I don't know anything about this guy! Except that you're mad at him! But I have to say I'm sympathetic, because he doesn't deserve the way you probably treated him!"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Severus said. The anger was gone from his face; he now looked so broken Sirius wanted to reach out and hug him. So he did. "Get off of me!" his fiancé shouted. Deciding not to make things worse, Sirius let the boy go and watched him run out of the room.

_I'm guessing the truce is officially over_, Sirius thought. He wasn't sure what to do now, but figured talking would help make the situation better. Hopefully Severus would want to talk to him after all of this. He didn't know who Derrick was, but he needed to find out before he did anything else this stupid.

Sirius got up and went to search for his fiancé, who could be anywhere. The first place he looked was their room, where Severus predictably wasn't. For the next hour he ran around the house. He went to the gym, a painting of a girl in a theater which he assumed was Severus' favorite, and all over the first floor. He would have gone outside, but he hadn't heard any doors slam so he decided to rule that out.

"Boys, are you in there?" Vito called. "It's time for lunch." That meant the others, Vito at least, didn't know about the fight. Deciding to ask for help Sirius wrenched open the door and almost ran smack into his father-in-law's chest.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"No problem, son. Do you know where Severus is?"

"Actually," he admitted, "I was hoping you would."

"Ahh…I see. Another fight?" The man looked concerned, but he seemed to be concerned for Sirius as well as his own son.

"Yes, I did something stupid and Severus found out about it. We yelled at each other and then he ran away. I've been trying to apologize since then, but I can't find him."

"He'll show up eventually. In the meantime, you can think of a way to apologize the right way."

"What do you mean?" Sirius wasn't an expert on relationships, but he assumed saying 'sorry, I'll never do it again' would work just fine.

"When you're trying to have a lasting relationship with a person," Sirius didn't mention that it was only ten years, "you need to show them that you intend to work things out."

"How?"

"Well," Vito thought for a moment, "it depends on the person you're apologizing to. When I had my first fight with Eileen I bought her flowers and made her dinner."

"I don't think Severus would trust my cooking."

"You're probably right," Vito said with an amused smile. "You should probably come up with something on your own though. And you can't do that on an empty stomach." The pair walked to the dining room together, where every seat except three was filled.

"Where's Severus?" Eileen asked immediately. Sirius could tell everyone else was thinking the same thing, and wondering whether he had struck the boy again.

"We don't know," Vito explained, "But everything's going to be all right; he'll show up eventually." Sirius couldn't help but notice Francesco looked a bit shifty. Throughout the meal his future brother-in-law kept giving him questioning and apologetic glances. It could not have been more obvious where Severus was.

After finishing the meal Francesco was the first out of the room. Sirius followed him discretely, watching as he knocked on the door to his own room. The door opened and Francesco slipped inside. Deciding to make this quick, Sirius went up to the door and pressed his ear to it. He had hoped to hear some sort of enlightening conversation, but after remembering what happened the last time he went snooping around he stepped back and knocked on the door.

The voices stopped. A few seconds later Francesco reappeared, but didn't open the door all the way. He slipped out through the cracked door and closed it behind him.

"I need to talk to him," Sirius said.

"I know," Francesco told him, "but he doesn't want to see you right now. It's nothing personal, but he's my brother and I have to stick by him."

"Could you tell him I'm sorry then?"

"I can, but you're going to need to do more than talk if you want his forgiveness."

"I know I do; I'm trying to think of something. It's kind of hard when I don't know anything about him."

"So guess," Francesco told him. Sirius gave him a confused look. "When you take someone on a first date you usually don't know them that well. This is kind of the same thing."

"It's not that easy."

"Just keep thinking, you'll come up with something."

"I'm glad you have so much faith in me."

"What did you two fight about anyway?"

Sirius was shocked that Severus hadn't told the world about it by now. However, he figured the boy had a reason, and he didn't want to make things worse. "If he hasn't told you maybe I shouldn't either."

"Alright then," Francesco said. "You should probably go. Severus is pretty upset."

It made Sirius feel horrible knowing he had hurt someone else so badly, especially since that person was his fiancé. He wondered if this is how things had been at Hogwarts, and vowed never to bully someone because of their house again. As he took off down the hall he was too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice Francesco giving him an approving grin.

Severus didn't come out for the rest of the day, and no one seemed keen on ordering him to. Sirius went to bed feeling like an utter failure and still having no idea how to apologize properly. It was in dreamland that he found his inspiration. He woke up with images of lights and colors in his head and knew what he was going to do.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN**: Even though it's only been a few weeks I feel like I haven't updated in forever. Here's a longer chapter to make up for it. Also, I don't know how many pounds are in a galleon, so I made up my own conversion.

Chapter Nine

Sirius was shaking with anticipation. He knew exactly how he was going to win Severus's forgiveness, and had even gotten Vito's approval. Now the only thing left was to talk to his fiancé. The other boy hadn't returned to their room after the fight, and Sirius worried he wouldn't see him until school started.

During breakfast he had volunteered to bring Severus a tray. Eileen seemed hesitant and Sylvia downright vicious about the idea, but his future mother-in-law had given him the go-ahead signal as he got up. Since Sirius still barely knew the boy, and now knew better than to check his diary for his food preferences, he had just grabbed a bit of everything.

Although he had been dumb enough to read the diary, Sirius was smart enough to know Severus wouldn't just let him into the room. So Sirius waited around the corner until Francesco wandered out and made his way down the stairs. He waited until his future brother-in-law had been gone five minutes, then came out of his hiding place and knocked on the door. He took care to knock the exact same way Francesco had, just in case the two brothers had come up with a secret code.

A few seconds later the door cracked open and Severus' head appeared. The boy's hair was disheveled and his gorgeous eyes were still half-closed.

_Note to self,_ Sirius thought, _Severus looks adorable—and less mean—when he's just woken up._

Severus did seem to be out of whack so early in the morning. Sirius realized this was the first time he had ever seen the other boy so vulnerable. Sirius had never been around when his fiancé was just waking up.

Luckily the morning's fuzziness was all Sirius needed to push open the door and make his way in. In record time, he set the breakfast tray on the dresser and raced back to lock the door. Severus was starting to wake up more and made to unlock it again.

"Not so fast," Sirius pleaded, "I want to apologize first."

"Yes," Severus sneered, a look that wasn't quite as flattering as his others, "this 'relationship,'" he made air quotes, "is all about what you want."

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Sirius argued, being careful to keep calm. If Severus couldn't trust him not to lose his cool the plan he had concocted wouldn't work.

"Do I? Because apparently I don't know anything about you. Just when I think you might be somewhat decent, you turn around and show your true self again."

"My true self?" Sirius echoed.

"You're the person I've known at Hogwarts for the past six years," Severus explained. "You torture and belittle others just to feel powerful, you discriminate against everyone else, but won't admit it even to yourself, and you quickly blame others for their faults but throw a fit when someone points a finger at you."

"You're one to talk," Sirius argued, still trying to keep his voice down, "during school you've never shown the slightest interest in art, history, or charity. You act like the poster child for the slimy snakes, but the second summer comes around you're seemingly above all that."

"I do show interest in those things at school. If you had shown interest in me before this summer you probably would have known that."

Sirius couldn't think of a response to that. Deciding to stop things before the escalated further, he grabbed Severus by the shoulders and moved him to the bed. "You're right," he admitted, "I've been an arse. I know a ring doesn't change that, but do you think you can give me a chance to show you what kind of person I really am?"

"I don't want anything to do with someone who only thinks about themself and their friends. You never bother about the rest of the school, or the rest of the world for that matter."

"Right, but you're the charitable one," Sirius attempted to joke. Judging by Severus' dry look, he'd say his attempt at humor was unsuccessful. "I brought you breakfast," he added, trying to be helpful. At Severus' curious look he added, "I didn't know what you liked so I just asked for some of everything. Don't worry; I didn't poison it or anything."

"Sweet Merlin," Severus exclaimed, "I hadn't even thought of that possibility until now."

"That's a good thing right? It proves that you're starting to trust me."

"On the contrary, it's horrible. All it proves is that your Gryffindor stupidity is rubbing off on me and I can no longer wonder about people's motives."

Sirius wasn't sure if the boy was joking, but he laughed anyway. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Severus looked quite amused himself. His eyes shone with mild happiness, and even his lips were partially turned upwards.

Severus reached over for the tray and set it between them. "Have you eaten?" he asked. Apparently Severus was a true Italian at heart; even though he disliked Sirius he couldn't leave him anything else but stuffed.

"I'm full," Sirius admitted. He sat and observed his fiancé while the other boy ate. The spent the next few moments in silence, up until Severus pushed the tray aside and faced him.

"Cinnamon pancakes by the way," he said.

"Pardon?" Sirius asked.

"What I absolutely love to have for breakfast."

"Oh," Sirius smiled, "good to know."

"And you?"

"Hmm…" Sirius thought for a moment. "I'll pretty much eat anything, but I like muffins and French toast."

"I see," Severus replied. He had suddenly found the bedspread very interesting, and was trying to pick it apart thread by thread.

_Is it that hard for him to get along with me, _Sirius wondered, _or does he just act this way with everybody?_

"Why did you come up here?" Severus finally asked, looking Sirius in the eyes for the first time.

_Those eyes again,_ he thought. It took all the willpower he possessed not to get lost in those eyes. "I wanted to apologize; I couldn't have been more of a jerk to you, not just the other day but the past six years as well. I know that it's going to take a long time to make up for that, but I was hoping you would let me take you somewhere."

"Where?" Severus asked warily. He had cocked his head to the side and had pulled back a little.

"It's a surprise," Sirius told him. When the boy looked on the verge of refusing he continued "Your parents know about it and think it's a good idea."

"Well now that you've brought them into this I guess there's no way I can refuse."

"That's why I talked to them first."

"What a Slytherin thing to do." Sirius's smirk gave way to a dropped jaw.

"We should go get ready, this might take all day."

"Alright, but only because I want to look good when the aurors find my body."

"Very funny," Sirius muttered as he held the door open. He wasn't sure if the other boy was joking, but hoped that their relationship involved more trust than that. Once they both got into the hallway Sirius held out his arm, but Severus refused with a roll of his eyes. Instead of walking side by side Sirius stayed a few steps behind his fiancé, firmly telling himself that he was not staring at Severus's ass as they went along.

"You don't think you're coming in here with me do you?" Severus asked, bringing Sirius's eyes back up and his mind back to reality. They were standing in front of the door to their en suite bathroom.

"Would you let me?" he asked, only half serious. Severus gave him a light shove and closed the door in his face.

After hearing the shower turn on Sirius started picking out his outfit for the day. They needed to fit in with muggles today, so he selected a pair of dark wash jeans and a plain grey T-shirt. After looking at the ensemble Sirius decided he needed to stand out from the crowd, so he picked a light blue shirt instead. After dressing he decided to pick out Severus's outfit as well. Even though the other boy dressed impeccably for a sixteen year old guy, Sirius wanted to make sure they didn't stand out too much. He also wanted a chance to go through Severus's side of the closet, but he wouldn't admit that even to himself.

For his fiancé Sirius picked out a purple V-neck and a pair of black jeans, the fact that they would cling to Severus tighter than plastic wrap being a key deciding factor. He carefully set the clothes on the chair then lay down to wait. Moments later Severus emerged from the bathroom in nothing but a couple of towels, one around his waist and the other around his shoulders. Sirius eyes strayed down the boy's body, but he quickly looked away. He couldn't act like an immature pig if he wanted to earn Severus's trust and respect.

"I picked out an outfit for you," Sirius told him. "We're going somewhere…different than what you might be used to."

"Well at least you know everything goes with black," Severus remarked. Sirius turned the rest of his body to face the wall while he got dressed. He felt the bed dip as Severus sat down and turned his head to make sure it was safe to turn around.

"You know," Severus said while pulling on his boots, "you're going to have to stop being such a prude if you want to uphold the marriage contract."

"I don't have a problem with…that, I just thought you might appreciate me looking away."

"Oh," Severus said. He was silent for a moment and appeared to be deep in thought. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"I don't know, being a somewhat decent person I guess. My—no one's ever really thought about what I wanted before."

"You're welcome then." Sirius didn't know what to make of that statement. Severus was obviously going to say something else, but what had ended up coming out was pretty intense. Was he talking about his parents forcing him into marriage or something totally different? Did it have to do with the reason he left Hogwarts last year, or the ever-mysterious Derrick person?

He realized he had been quiet for a while, so he got to his feet and pulled Severus up with him. "You look amazing," he said. He wasn't lying: the clothes he had picked out fit Severus like a glove while revealing nothing. Sirius honestly couldn't understand why girls had to bear so much skin to get attention.

"Will you tell me where we're going now?"

"No. But we should get leave now."

Vito had given Sirius permission to use their car and chauffer, who was supposed to meet the couple at the front door in five minutes. The two walked down the stairs with Severus asking for hints to their location.

"Can't you tell me anything?" he pleaded, pouting his lips and looking right into Sirius's eyes.

Sirius considered giving in for just a second, but decided it would be much more satisfying to see Severus's reaction to their destination. "No, and stop asking. We should be there in an hour."

As they reached the bottom of the stairs a flash made Sirius almost lose his balance. At first he thought the crazy photographer from their engagement ritual had returned, but it turned out to be Eileen with her own camera.

"Would you two stand closer together? Sirius, put your arm around him," she instructed. "This is so exciting! It's your first time going out as a couple!" Vito stood behind her with a broad grin, which Sirius suspected was mostly due to the fact that the "couple" was being held hostage and tortured.

"Mom, could you please do this some other time, or maybe never?" Severus pleaded. He seemed quite resigned to the fact that this scene had to happen, however.

"For once in your live," Eileen chided, "stop complaining and just enjoy the moment. You only ever go out for the first time once."

"Where are you going? Can I come too?" Julia asked from the corner. Sirius now noticed she was hiding behind her father, as if she was afraid Eileen would try to get a picture of her too.

"Not this time sweetie," Sirius told her, not unkindly. "But we're going to a surprise destination." He caught a glimpse of Severus rolling his eyes before Eileen took another picture.

"I like surprises," Julia pouted. Apparently members of the Snape family were relentless.

"How about this," Sirius proposed, "after we leave you can ask your dad all about where we're going, and if you still want to go I'll take you tomorrow."

Julia brightened up considerably, but he couldn't tell if it was because of his promise or the fact that she would know something Severus didn't. "OK!" she said before running off to presumable find Francesco or Graziella to gloat to.

"Come on honey," Sirius said sweetly, "let's get this picture taken and then we can be on our way." Severus, who caught on to his sarcasm, fought back a grin, but the twinkle in his eye was still there.

"Isn't that lovely," Eileen exclaimed, "look at how well they're getting along!" Vito, who wasn't as oblivious as his wife snorted, but realized he was being spoken to.

"It's absolutely wonderful," he said dryly, giving the two on the stairs a wink.

Now in a better mood than he had been this morning, Sirius didn't hesitate to put his arm around Severus's shoulders and pull the boy closer to him. Severus didn't resist, but he didn't seem particularly enthusiastic either. Nevertheless, he let Sirius hold him loosely and even put his hand on Sirius's nearest shoulder.

"Now smile! This is a happy occasion!" Eileen instructed. With one last flash the two were free to continue on their way. "Be smart about what you do, but have fun!" Eileen told them.

"We will, I'll make sure nothing bad happens," Sirius assured her. She pulled the two of them into a very motherly hug that made Sirius wonder what he had missed throughout his childhood, but he shook the thoughts away once she released them.

"We'll see you guys later," Severus mumbled, before turning on his heel and making his way to the door. Sirius watched him leave, but gave Vito and Eileen one last salute before following.

"Ready?" Sirius asked.

"No, but I doubt I have a choice in the matter," his fiancé replied. He looked so miserable at that moment that Sirius couldn't help but console him.

"If you don't want to do this say the word and we can just stay home."

Severus mulled it over for a moment. "Are you really trying to make up for everything?"

"Yes, but it should be on your terms, not mine or your parents'."

"Then let's go," Severus said with a grim smile as he pulled open the doors. The car was waiting for them at the bottom of the steps, the chauffeur leaning against it and waiting to open the door for them. As they made their way towards the car the driver opened the back door facing them. When he was close enough Sirius took hold of the door with a nod at the guy, and motioned for Severus to slide in. Once his fiancé was seated he closed the door and made his way to the other side. This time he let the driver hold the door open.

The car was a cross between a classic town car and the modern version of one. There was a stocked mini bar and mini television screens for each passenger. For a pureblood family, the Snapes were more into muggle technology than Sirius would have ever assumed. They made sure to have the best of everything, and muggle items were no exception. They probably had better possessions than the royal family.

"Where to sirs?" the chauffeur asked from the front. Severus looked at him and motioned for him to provide an answer.

"I need to stop at Diagon Alley first…"he started, but then completely blanked on the man's name. He knew it started with an 'H'—or maybe it was an 'L'—the situation was getting more awkward by the minute.

"Geoffrey," he heard in his ear. Severus was pressed against him in an attempt to look affectionate, but was really trying to help him out.

"Thank you Geoffrey," he said, exhaling in relief. He looked at Severus and tried to convey the immense amount of gratitude he felt. He hoped his message had gotten through, because his fiancé shrugged his shoulders and moved back to the other side of the car.

"Do you mind if we put the screen up Geoffrey?" Sirius asked. Now that he knew the man's name he had to be careful not to use it excessively.

"Not at all sir," he replied, pressing the button himself. Once the car had been completely divided Sirius turned to his future husband.

"So what do you usually do during the summer?" he asked.

"We go to Italy and visit the rest of the family," Severus said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "But I also like roaming around the house, and even going places in the UK."

"That sounds relaxing, and the fact that you get to go to Italy is really cool."

"You'll get used to it after a while. But there is some amazing culture there. They have this huge library about the history of Europe—from both the muggle and magical points of view. And there's always some amazing festivals and street fairs. Every wizard in the area shows up; it's kind of like Carnivale. I wish they had things like that over here."

Sirius smirked, pleased with himself. "Have you ever been anywhere else besides Italy and the UK?"

"No," Severus told him wistfully, "but I've always wanted to travel the world. Ever since I was twelve I've wanted to take a road trip to Russia. It would take a lot of time though, since I want to volunteer and absorb as much culture as I can the whole way."

"Really? I've always wanted to travel to! I thought that after Hogwarts I might take a trip around the world."

"Well aren't we the perfect couple?" Severus observed, only partially sarcastic. "What do you usually do during the holidays?"

"Not much to tell you the truth," he said, "I just try to survive my family for as long as possible before going to stay with the Potters."

"Speaking of which, you haven't told anyone about …this, have you?"

"No. I've tried a bunch of times, but I don't think this is the sort of thing you tell someone in a letter."

"What about whoever you're dating?"

Sirius jumped out of surprise. "I'm not seeing anyone. I broke up with my last girlfriend in March."

"I see," Severus mused, looking away and staring wistfully out the window.

"Why did you bring that up?" Sirius questioned, suspicion now prevalent in his mind. "Are you seeing someone?"

Severus sighed and let out a hollow laugh. "I was, but we broke up at the end of last year. Although…I guess we never officially broke up." Something in his voice made Sirius's protective instincts take over. Severus looked so hurt right now, it was impossible not to want to comfort him. He tried to tell himself it was because of the bond that resulted from the marriage contract.

He reached out at placed his hand on Severus's. "Is that why you left before the end of term? He asked softly. The boy was finally starting to open up to him; he had to be careful not to scare him away.

"Partially," Severus admitted, "it's a long story though. And-and I-I just can't tell you about it right now."

"That's alright, I understand. But if you ever want to talk about it, you can come to me."

Severus looked to be on the verge of a harsh retort, but kept his tongue in check and settled for a small, but forced, smile. "You're the one that thinks we should get to know each other," he said, "tell me something about yourself."

That took Sirius by surprise yet again. "What do you want to know?"

"I'm supposed to know everything about you? Why don't you start with the really obvious stuff?"

"Alright, my full name is Sirius Orion Black. I'm in Gryffindor. My parents, Orion and Walburga, and well as most of my family have been in Slytherin…"

"Very funny, how about you treat things like your name: serious."

"I cannot believe you just made that joke."

"I can't believe your parents named you after a dog."

"It's a Black family tradition to name kids after constellations or stars. Where did your name come from?"

"I was named after my great-grandfather, but other than that I have no idea. I don't even think my name has a meaning. And I hope you realize that we're breaking your family tradition."

"I'm all for going against my family, but what are you talking about?"

"I refuse to have a kid named Apus or Pictor."

"Don't worry, I absolutely agree with you. What do you think we should name our kid?"

"I don't think we should be having this conversation yet."

"Point taken. OK, I'll keep talking about myself. I have no idea what I want to do with myself after Hogwarts; all I know is that I want to travel. I am jealous of my best friend for having a loving family, knowing what he wants to do with his life and what school he wants to go to, being able to automatically get into that school, and having all the family experiences I want to have."

"And being able to marry whomever he wants isn't on that list?"

"No, I can still marry whoever I want. I just have to stay with you for ten years," Sirius replied bluntly. Too late he realized that was quite possibly the dumbest thing that could have come out of his mouth. Severus's mouth hung open for a second before he turned around and pointedly looked out the window. "I didn't mean it like that!" was all Sirius could think to say.

"Sure you didn't. I understand perfectly; in fact, let's just go back to the house and forget we ever even tried."

Sirius really needed Severus to look at him. His list of things to apologize for was growing every day. He slid over to his fiancé's side of the car and wrapped an arm around the boy's waist. "I just meant that if this doesn't work out we can go our separate ways without anyone thinking anything worse of us. I want you to be the one for me, I really do, but I'm just saying that we have a safety net that James doesn't have." Sirius had brought his lips right up to Severus's ear, and was honestly trying to seem seductive. He had always been able to make girls swoon without trying, so why were his best efforts met with disinterest when it came to his fiancé?

Severus turned his head rapidly, resulting in their lips being a fraction of a nanometer apart. If one of them were to say a word they would practically be kissing. "So you think we should try to be the 'it' couple?" Severus questioned. Sure enough, the boy's supple lips brushed against Sirius's, temporarily shutting off the connection between his brain and the rest of his body. There were still no fireworks though.

"I think we should try to be happy, and try to get to know each other," Sirius replied after a moment. His face was starting to heat up, and that was the least embarrassing of bodily reactions. But a part of him realized that Severus was testing him. He needed to prove he could be in close proximity to the other boy without having any sexual, or otherwise inappropriate, thoughts. Apparently sharing a bed without making a move wasn't enough.

"That sounds like a good plan." Severus adjusted his head so that, even though their lips were still barely touching, Sirius could now look into his eyes. Being so close Sirius could see the flecks of gold and violet in them. Other than that they were a mix between green and hazel, but tilting towards the green end of the color spectrum. Severus's skin was smooth and unblemished, the hair falling into his eyes the only thing obstructing a full view of it.

"You're so beautiful," Sirius whispered, before he could stop himself. Even though it was a sincere compliment, Severus pulled back and Sirius could sense that he had failed the test. "I didn't mean it like that-like I wanted to-" he struggled to come up with the words. "Look," he said, grabbing Severus by the shoulders so that they could face each other, "you are an absolutely gorgeous person. I don't know you that well yet, but from what I know so far you're as beautiful on the inside as you are out. I'm proud to be engaged to you, since there is probably no one in the world as amazing as you."

Severus tried to hold back another smile as he nodded his head. "Thank you. For that, for this," he gestured around the car, indicating the trip they were taking, "and for trying. Even though we didn't choose this, you have been treating me with respect most of the time. You're even going beyond the terms of the marriage contract. I'm sorry I've been so immature. I'm not used to guys like you. Derrick-" he froze, realizing he whatever he had almost revealed.

"It's OK," Sirius assured him, "you don't have to tell me anything." He assumed Derrick was the boy's ex, and that their relationship hadn't been that great. He used his free arm to pull Severus closer and give him a one armed hug. "What's your favorite kind of ice cream?"

Severus snorted and didn't bother to hide his smile this time, "Has anyone ever told you you're a master of changing the subject?"

"Technically, it's not that far of a leap," Sirius countered. "We're talking about our relationship, and sometime over the course of it you're going to be pregnant. It's better that I know this information now so I'll be ready to make those midnight runs to the store."

"I can't wait for it; Francesco and Graziella are always telling me I'll have the worst pregnancy in the history of the world."

"We'd best get all our bases covered then. I'm still waiting for an answer you know."

"I don't really like ice cream that much; I'd rather have cookie dough. I'm going to guess your favorite is plain chocolate."

"How'd you know that?"

"It's what you've had for dessert every day since you got here." Sirius decided that Severus's observational skills were that of a typical Slytherin; his own family seemed to notice everything, even the things he tried to hide.

"We have arrived at Diagon Alley sir," Geoffrey's voice said through the intercom. Sirius slid back to his side of the car and got out, then went around the car to open Severus's door.

"Maybe it's best if I stay in the car," Severus told him.

"You don't have to, unless you really want to that is."

"Think about it: neither one of us have told people we're engaged. If we go in together someone is going to see us, and word travels fast in the wizarding community."

Sirius thought about that for a moment. He wasn't trying to hide their new relationship from everyone, just his friends who he thought should be told in person. However, if he told Severus to stay in the car he would have to come up with another apology. "They're going to find out eventually," he finally said, resigned to the fact that his friends would hear the news through the grapevine. James would eventually forgive him, however; he didn't think Severus ever would.

"Go," Severus told him, seemingly understanding of the situation. "I would hate to find out my best friend was engaged through my great-aunt Mildred."

"You have a great-aunt Mildred?" Sirius asked, running through the Snape family relatives he had met at their engagement ritual.

"No, I was just trying to make a point. Can you hurry up and leave though? I want to find out where you're taking me." With what might have been their first shared smile, Sirius closed the door and walked into the Leaky Cauldron, sparing one last look back at the car as he entered the building.

"Sirius Black," Tom, the barkeeper, called, "I'm not used to seeing you here so early in the year."

"Hello Tom," he replied, "I just need to make a quick stop at the bank."

"Good to see you though lad, especially since you'll be moving on to better things next year I assume. You and your friends will go far, I don't doubt that." Tom was trying to keep him around for conversational purposes, since the bar was mostly empty at this time of day. Sirius could sense the sincerity in his voice though, and wished he had as much faith in himself as others seemed to have in him.

"Thank you Tom, I really need to be going though."

"Yes, yes, of course. Make sure you come back soon though!"

Sirius waved and exited through the back, taking out his wand and tapping the bricks in the correct sequence. The sudden noise from the Alley made him feel like part of society after he had spent so long cooped up in the two family homes. Witches and wizards bustled about, going through their day without a care in the world. None of them had to worry about measuring up to their fiancé's standards, and none of them had been trapped in an unwanted marriage. The practice of arranging marriages lost popularity decades ago, but certain pureblood families still invoked it if their child was probably going to marry someone they didn't approve of.

Without looking anyone in the eyes, out of fear of someone recognizing him, Sirius made his way to Gringotts and took out his dragon-hide wallet. A goblin opened the door for him and he made his way over to the currency exchange desk. The line was short this time of year; Hogwarts letters hadn't gone out yet, so there weren't any muggle born students around.

He took out his key and handed it to the goblin behind the desk. "I need to convert two hundred galleons to pounds."

"That comes out to five hundred pounds. The money has been taken from your account." The goblin handed him an envelope filled with money. "Have a nice day," he said unconvincingly.

Sirius transferred the money to his wallet and looked at the clock. It was only a little past one, but he wanted to have as much time at their destination as possible. He started walking as fast as he could, but forgot to pay attention to his surroundings.

"Sirius Black!" a voice on his left called. He turned to see Frank Longbottom making his way over. Frank, a fellow Gryffindor, had just graduated. Even though they were a year apart, the two had been rather close.

"Hey Frank, how does it feel to be a real adult now?"

"It's been amazing; you're going to love it. I was accepted into the auror program at Briarstone, and," he looked around for eavesdroppers, "Alice and I are getting married!"

Sirius was shocked. He couldn't believe people actually chose to get married so young. "Congratulations," he said weakly.

"I know you can't understand it, but I'm really happy about the engagement."

"Don't you feel like you're losing some freedom? After all, you're just starting out in the world." They had never really gotten into deep conversations, but Sirius needed to be reassured that there were people out there suffering just as much as he was.

"Not at all; the way I see it, Alice and I are going to be there for each other through everything. I love her, and marrying her will make sure we're bonded for the rest of our lives."

"Then I'm happy for you," Sirius told him, faking a smile. Frank was actually happy about getting married for the reasons everyone quoted at Sirius. If only he wasn't engaged to Severus. He shook those thoughts away as soon as they entered his mind. "I've got to run, but we should catch up some time."

"Definitely, have a nice summer!"

"You too," Sirius replied. He made sure not to bump into anyone else on his way out of the Alley. He finally exited the Leaky Cauldron and saw Geoffrey leaning against the car. When the man spotted him, he stood up straight and opened the door for him. "Thanks Geoffrey," he said. He stepped back so that Severus couldn't hear him as easily and told the driver where they would be going.

"Are you almost done out there?" Severus said. He didn't sound angry though, which Sirius decided was a good thing.

"Next stop," Sirius said as he slid into the car, "the surprise destination."

"And you're really going to give me no hints?"

"Not even a little one, and you need to close your eyes."

"Why?"

"We're going to be there in five minutes and I want you to guess where we are before you actually see it."

"That sounds-"

"Do you want me to blindfold you?" Sirius asked, effectively shutting the other boy up. Severus closed his eyes and put a hand over his eyes for added security. Sirius leaned in front of his face to make sure the boy wasn't peeking.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked, with his hands on either side of his fiancé's shoulders.

"I don't know, but you moved to my side of the car."

Sirius leaned back a little and replaced Severus's hand with his own. "Just to be sure," he said, mostly to convince himself. Severus adjusted himself so that Sirius's shoulder supported his upper body. It was nice, Sirius had to admit, to have someone to hold; it didn't matter that he didn't love or trust the person.

He was thankful Severus couldn't see him, for he was staring quite blatantly and taking in as much of the other boy as he could. Severus smelled good, like cinnamon and apples instead of bat wings and crushed beetles. It was funny how he had never noticed it before. They arrived at the park too soon for Sirius's liking.

"Keep your eyes closed," he instructed Severus. "I'll come around and help you out." Geoffrey opened the door for him and he rushed to the other side of the car before Severus could get a glimpse of where they were. He grabbed the boy's hand and slowly pulled him out of the car. "Don't look yet," he instructed.

If Severus's eyes had been open he probably would have rolled them. Sirius stood behind him, one hand around the boy's waist and one on his shoulder. "What do you think?"

"It's really loud," Severus replied, in reference to the music and voices that were drifting through the parking lot. "But it smells pretty good, and the place has a nice vibe to it."

Satisfied with the preliminary reaction, Sirius thought his fiancé was ready to find out where they were. "Open your eyes."

Severus took a small step back. "How did you…" he struggled to find the right phrase.

"You have a lot of pictures in your room of places like this. You always look so happy in them, and I had heard about this place on the muggle news. I made sure you dad thought it was a good idea first though."

"Thank you," Severus told him, his miraculous eyes shining brightly.

"Shall we?" Sirius asked, offering Severus his arm for the second time that day. Though the boy didn't accept the arm, he did grab hold of Sirius's hand and pull him towards the park. His hand seemed warmer than it ever had been.

_If this is what the next ten years will be like,_ Sirius thought, _then bring it on._

**AN:** Hahaha…if you haven't already guessed, you'll find out where they're at in the next chapter. And we'll find out who Derrick is in the chapter after that. 3 to you awesome readers!


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: So sorry for the wait! I wish I could say school was getting in the way, but I just had a hard time cranking this one out (too excited for future chapters). But here it is, and it's the longest yet: almost 9,000 words!

Here are a few things I forgot to mention earlier: 1) Voldemort does not exist here (he may show up later though), 2) The shrieking shack incident never happened, and 3) Lily and Severus aren't friends, but they get along OK.

Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Severus seemed to have forgotten their hatred of one another, for he was pulling Sirius by the hand. Sirius chuckled at his fiancé's excitement as they reached the ticket booth, standing too far apart to be lovers but too close to be just friends. Though the area they were in was plain, the inside of the fairgrounds promised much more color and excitement. The booth was shoddily constructed of a few planks of wood and a simple window. "Two please," he said, handing the money to the woman behind the glass.

The woman, who appeared to be in her late forties, looked down at their loosely clasped hands and gave the pair a dirty look before turning to get the tickets. Even though Sirius could understand her reaction he didn't think he warranted such open hostility. Apparently Severus felt the same way; however, he chose to express his anger in a different way.

"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?" Severus asked, pressing up against Sirius's side. Even though Severus was almost taller than him, he wrapped his arms around Sirius's neck so they could get even closer. It took Sirius a moment to realize what his fiancé was doing, and when he did he was a little put down Severus did not actually think so highly of him. He played along though, since doing so would allow him to annoy the old hag and hopefully cop a feel.

"I could use a little reminding," Sirius replied while placing his hands on Severus's hips. Severus leaned in to presumably whisper something in Sirius's ear. Instead, however, he brushed his lips along Sirius's jawbone and lightly scraped his earlobe with his teeth. Sirius went rigid for a moment before relaxing and holding on to the other boy tighter. Taking this as encouragement, Severus placed another, feather-light kiss lower on Sirius's jaw. "You're good at this," he remarked, slightly surprised.

"And I'll be better later," Severus said, barely moving his lips from Sirius's skin. That was enough for the woman behind the counter.

"Excuse me!" she said, her features locked in horror. "Here," she thrust their tickets through the slot, "take these to the man at the turnstiles. Next!" The hag was overly desperate to get rid of them so Sirius ushered Severus along by the waist. He was starting to think that this outing wasn't such a good idea. Sure, they were getting along better, but he now hated himself for wanting to continue what Severus had started.

"Oh my God," Severus remarked, "did you see the look on her face? I swear, some people just-"

"Well you didn't have to deal with her that way," Sirius interrupted. He had to admit, he was slightly bitter about the situation and how he wanted to respond to it.

"What else could we do without being openly hostile?" Severus asked as they neared the turnstiles. After a few seconds of silence Severus turned around and Sirius tried to hide his frustration. "Don't tell me you want us to be all—you know, like a couple, after getting along for a couple of days!"

"I don't expect that!" Sirius scoffed. Now that Severus was on to him he had to find some way to save face. "It's just been a while since I've—done anything."

"Poor baby, I didn't realize how hard it was not to have a herd of bimbos fawning over your every move."

"Hey, I'm a normal teenage boy! I have certain needs to be fulfilled before I function properly."

"Well it's good to know my parents are sentencing me to ten years with someone who still considers himself a boy."

"That is not fair! We're supposed to be getting along, remember?"

"You're right," Severus acquiesced, "I'm sorry, old habits die hard. This probably took a lot of effort, and you did a really great job. Thank you."

Severus was saying the right words, but Sirius had expected more than the handshake his fiancé was offering. They were engaged, they shared the same bed, and the boy was offering him a hand. Sirius wasn't sure whether he should take it or try to turn it into a hug. Luckily they had reached the security guard so he was spared the awkwardness.

He handed over the tickets then turned back to his fiancé, who had lowered his hand. _Maybe I should have accepted it while I had the chance._

"You're clear," the guard told them, ushering them through with a wave of his hand. Severus cut in front of him and turned around as if to say something, but shook his head instead. He was just about to go through the turnstile when he turned around again and gave Sirius a peck on the cheek. By the time Sirius had gotten over the shock his fiancé had disappeared into the throng of people ahead. He shook his own head to clear it, and then continued to find the boy who lived to send him mixed signals.

The park looked as if it had been bathed with streams of multi-colored paint. The rides and booths had been painted in the brightest shades of red, blue, and yellow imaginable; any place without solid surfaces to paint had been draped with pieces of fabric or streamers. Sirius felt as if he had just entered an acid-induced dream; even the grass seemed to be a brighter shade of green.

He found Severus sitting on the ledge of a fountain, thoroughly mesmerized by the figures carved into the stone. It was a scene of an enchanted forest; fairies, centaurs, and the like played around with children, all seemingly having a good time. The artist obviously didn't know that a centaur would never allow a human to ride on its back. Everyone else was walking by, presumably on their way to the next ride or food stand, but Severus sat appreciating the beauty they were all missing out on. Sirius decided he liked that about his future husband. "Do you plan on sitting there the whole day or are you going to introduce me to the world of carnivals?" he asked as he finally reached him.

"You've never been to a carnival before?"

"No, my mother thought it was inappropriate for us to mingle with the 'common folk'—her words, not mine."

"Then how did you know to bring me here? Did Francesco help you plan this?"

"No!" Sirius said, intent on not being the cause of a family rift. "I noticed a lot of pictures in your room were taken at places like this. You look so happy in them, and you haven't really been happy the past couple of weeks, so I thought it would be a welcome surprise."

"Thanks," Severus said, looking even more puzzled than before. "I used to dream of running away and joining a traveling carnival. I used to think it would be the only way to see the world."

"What made you change your mind?"

"I realized that there were many other jobs that would allow me to travel. And I thought that I'd have a year or so of freedom after finishing Hogwarts to tour the continent."

Sirius had never realized how much they had in common; however, he wasn't sure if he wanted to go gallivanting about with Severus so soon after they had learned to just bear each other's presence. Besides, he would rather enjoy the world with someone he actually liked by his side. He was curious about one thing though. "What would you have been, if you had joined the carnival?"

"A contortionist," Severus replied absentmindedly. Unwanted images started flickering through his mind, he couldn't help himself from imagining all the fun he could be having—if he was interested in Severus in that way, which he wasn't.

"Is that what you've got in store for later?" he asked, teasing Severus for his earlier performance.

"No," the boy told him. Sirius didn't see the stream of cold water coming till it had soaked his face and hair. "That was." Severus got up and took a few steps back, enough to ensure a counter-attack wouldn't hit him. Sirius saw the wand being tucked away in a pocket. Severus interrupted his musings on where that wand was being hidden. "Are you coming?"

He caught up to his fiancé and grabbed the boy's hand, deciding to play the part of the doting lover for a while. It would surely get him places he wanted to go, although he would never admit how desperate he was. "What are we doing first?"

"That depends, are you afraid of heights?"

"No," Sirius answered. He didn't see how that was even possible with the amount of time he spent on a broom.

"Then we're off to the Ferris wheel!" Severus exclaimed, gesturing to the rotating hunk of metal taller than the trees.

"Is that thing safe?"

"Pretty much," Severus told him. Sirius had to run to catch up with the boy, who was already standing in line for the dangerous ride. Every car had been painted a different color, ranging from sky blue to bright orange, and the people operating the ride had been dressed to match. Sirius wasn't so sure he wanted people who dressed in the dark in control of his safety.

All too soon they had reached the front of the line. Severus pushed him into the available car and sat on the bench in front of him. An old man in purple overalls locked them in. After pulling on the door he gave a signal, and they were on their way to the top.

"Wait till we get to the top, the view is magnificent," Severus said. He was prattling on and on about how beautiful everything was; Sirius was trying to remember how to breathe. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied. "What were you saying?"

"You're knuckles are turning white and your face is turning green," Severus pointed out. Although Sirius couldn't see his face he did notice his hands clenched around the bars, and relaxed them so he was only just holding on to them.

"Is that better?"

"Relax, we're not about to go plunging to our deaths. And if we do, we don't have to marry each other." Severus's attempt at humor was not comforting. "Aren't you used to pulling more dangerous stunts in Quidditch?"

"I guess, but in Quidditch there's magic involved. I know someone will stop me if I fall off my broom or crash into a tree."

"People still get injured all the time though."

"Yes, but that's a risk you have to take when playing a sport."

"Quidditch is not a sport."

"It is too?"

"What are you five?" Severus scoffed. "Sports are physically taxing, Quidditch is not."

"Hey! It takes effort to catch, throw, and hit the ball while flying around."

"Do you consider catch a sport?"

"No, it's a game."

"Then so is Quidditch."

Sirius couldn't argue with him anymore so he decided to change the subject. He didn't foresee himself winning many arguments over the next ten years. "I don't think I've seen you at any Quidditch matches."

"That's because I don't go. I would rather do something more productive with my time."

"Like what?"

"Like getting work done or doing something I actually enjoy."

"If I hadn't seen the pictures in your room I would swear you have no life. You know you have to start going to matches though right?"

"Why is that?"

"Because your loving fiancé is the best beater Hogwarts has ever seen! What will people think if you don't support me?"

"That our parents are forcing us into marriage."

"I'm pretty sure everyone expects us to make the best of this situation. Plus it's bad luck if your significant other doesn't come to your games." Severus mulled that over for a moment. Sirius knew he wasn't superstitious, and that he didn't really care about Gryffindor winning, but he was considering the idea.

"I'll come on one condition: you have to support Slytherin at all the other matches."

Sirius was shocked; that would be an act of blasphemy in the eyes of his fellow Gryffindors. How bad did he really want Severus at his games anyway? Sure, this would be the only time someone he was in a relationship with didn't support him, but it wasn't like they were actually in love. Did it really matter if they were going to break up in ten years anyway?

Unfortunately, if Sirius wanted to save face with his teammates, it did. The superstition of not winning without your significant other present held true most of the time. Even if his fellow Gryffindors hated Severus they wouldn't allow him to miss a single game.

"Alright," Sirius agreed, feeling a bit like he was selling his soul. "I'll support the snakes, but you have to come to every Gryffindor match and support us. And you have to sit with me at the Slytherin games; I would rather not be murdered because to this deal." Severus looked shocked that Sirius would agree to such a thing. He had clearly expected Sirius to let him stay away from Quidditch as usual.

"Fine," he finally agreed.

"Really?"

"A deal is a deal; if you're willing to hold up your end I should hold up mine."

"Wow…I think we just made our first compromise as a couple. Maybe we should celebrate this milestone."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Look out now, we've stopped moving."

They had indeed stopped spinning. Apparently some friendly Quidditch banter was all that was needed to get Sirius's mind off his impending death. Even though the car was still swinging slightly he felt much more comfortable after surviving this far. And Severus was right: the view was perfect. From the top of the Ferris wheel the garish colors didn't look as disconnected. Instead, they made the park seem more beautiful than its surrounding area, which was a collection of parking lots and lower end shops.

For that one perfect moment, Sirius felt as if he were part of the carnival and not just a visitor. He looked at the people milling about below, visiting stalls or waiting in lines; he watched the other rides in full swing and heard the delighted screams and laughter; he enjoyed the smell of popcorn and cotton candy and the sound of too-loud music rising through the air. This, Sirius decided, was one of the best moments of his life. Severus must have felt the same way, for he was looking down with a glazed look in his eyes. There was something other than enjoyment in his expression, however, and Sirius felt it was his responsibility to get to the bottom of it.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of heights," he joked. This was the boy who had just forced him onto the Ferris wheel; however, a fear of heights would explain why he never went to Quidditch games.

"No," Severus said softly, "I just haven't been here in a while. Ignore me, I'm being nostalgic."

"Let's be nostalgic together!" Sirius said, interested in finding out more about his fiancé. "Who did you come with last time?"

"My best friends, Francesco, and some of his friends; some of them hadn't ever been to a carnival before so it was quite the experience."

"That sounds like it was fun. Hey, do you think the other Marauders would like it here? I'm pretty sure that none of them have been here either."

"I doubt putting me anywhere near them is a good idea. The only reason we're getting along is because we have to."

"That's not true!" Sirius argued, even though he knew it was. "Maybe that's how it started out, but we do have things in common. We have lots of things in common! And I think you're a great person, now that I've gotten to know you." That was partially true. Now that they'd been forced to interact, Sirius realized he and Severus shared interests; and contrary to what he originally believed, Severus was not a cold-hearted Slytherin. He was rather nice, and probably should have been in Ravenclaw.

Severus sighed and looked at Sirius for a moment. "I don't want to get into this right now, can we talk about this later, or possibly never?"

"Later it is then," Sirius agreed. He was going to make sure the next ten years went as smoothly as possible.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, with Severus looking outside and Sirius, too his disgust, looking at Severus. He couldn't help admire how Severus looked in the tight-clothes. He also found his eyes repeatedly drawn to the engagement ring, which would remain under a concealment charm until the engagement was formally announced. The ring fit not only Severus's finger but his personality. Deep down, Sirius was glad he would be the first, if not the only, person to marry Severus. He couldn't deny that the boy was perfect—in a pureblood marriage requirement sort of way.

The second their car stopped Severus was jumping out of it. It took Sirius a little longer to extract himself from the metal box, since he hadn't had as much practice. Thankfully, Severus had waited at the exit gate for him; they strolled together through the crowd without saying anything and with no destination in mind. The day had started off with such promise, but the air between them now was awkward.

"So," Sirius started, desperate for conversation, "if you're not afraid of heights, what is it?"

"Are you going to use this to torture me at school?"

"I don't think I'm allowed to do that anymore, but I wouldn't even if I could."

"Yes you would."

"But I'm not going to. So what is it?"

"Deep water," Severus said without looking at him.

"Seriously? I'm finding it hard to believe you'd tell me just like that."

"Well you admitted that you aren't allowed to use that information against me. I don't see any point in lying, since we are going to be around each other a lot. You're bound to notice it eventually."

"Don't you love swimming?"

"Yes, but that's when I'm in a pool that I skim the bottom of when I jump in."

"Can you teach me?"

"Teach you what? How to stop being a self-important-"

"We're getting along remember!" Sirius interrupted. This was going to take a lot of practice. "Can you teach me how to swim?"

"You can't swim?"

"Nope," Sirius lied. He only hoped Severus hadn't seen him fooling around in the lake with the guys.

"Aren't you always wading out into the middle of the Black Lake with your friends?"

There went that idea. "I'm just trying to spend time with you! Like I said, I want to get to know you better."

"By lying?" Severus did have a point there. Sirius didn't have an answer. "How about you ask me stuff that you want to know?"

"And you would tell me just like that?"

"It depends on what you ask."

"Okay," Sirius thought for a moment, "what do you like better: caramel popcorn or cotton candy?"

Severus smirked at him. "Popcorn," he said, "let's go to the stall at the end of the park. They usually have a shorter line." Sirius followed him, but this time they had plenty to talk about.

"So who are your best friends? I don't know that many Slytherins so I don't recognize people in your pictures."

"My roommates Brad and Kingsley, and Lucius Malfoy."

"You're best friends with Malfoy? How did that happen when he's two years older than us?"

"I'm not entirely sure how it happened. We ended up sitting together during a meal and the next thing I know we're hanging out every day."

"Am I going to have to get along with him now?"

"That depends," Severus retorted. "Do you expect me to get along with your friends?"

A sheepish look crossed Sirius's face. "Maybe we should start slowly. I'll introduce you to them properly, and you can introduce me to your friends. I can't promise to like them, but I'll be civil. That's the most I can ask of you I suppose."

"That," Severus said, "is surprisingly mature for you. Did someone coach you on what to say?"

"Nope," Sirius answered proudly, "that was all me and all spur of the moment. Admit it; I'm deeper than I look."

"Yes, but not by much." They had now reached the line for the popcorn stand, and only had three couples ahead of them. The stand was painted red, though the paint was starting to peel, and a bright yellow banner with purple letters proclaimed what its purpose was. The smells coming from it were delicious; Sirius couldn't wait to try some.

"Do you think you would have liked my friends if you were in Gryffindor?" he asked.

"Well, I never would have been sorted into Gryffindor to begin with. But no, I don't think I could get along with someone who expects everyone to worship the ground he walks on and proclaims everyone with different beliefs to be a bigot."

"James is not that bad! He's more tolerant than everyone in Slytherin put together at any rate," Sirius defended. Although he didn't want to fight with his fiancé, he would not accept someone who didn't know his friends to insult them.

"You only think that because he's your best friend," Severus pointed out. "You don't know what most Slytherins believe because you've never bothered having a conversation with one. Potter came to Hogwarts believing that Gryffindor, where his parents were sorted, was the best house and that Slytherin was the worst. You know how his dad is an auror?" Sirius nodded. "Well, Mr. Potter and this guy named Riddle were rivals during their time at school. A few years before our first year, Riddle was arrested for torturing muggles. Riddle was in Slytherin, and I'm sure Mr. Potter told his son all about their altercations. Since he hasn't heard anything else about our house he developed a stereotype against us."

That was a lot to take in for Sirius. Though he didn't want to believe James could be wrong, what Severus said made a lot of sense. "You're forgetting I come from a Slytherin family," Sirius said, "I know more about the house than you think."

"Have your parents ever seriously mentioned exterminating muggles or other breeds of magical creatures?" Now that Sirius thought about it, they hadn't. They did believe they weren't as good as wizards though. But wasn't that what every wizard, Gryffindor, Slytherin, or whatever, thought? When Sirius didn't respond, Severus kept going. "You don't know any of us. You don't know that most of us prefer muggle technology and believe wizards are still living in the middle ages."

"Next!" the old man at the popcorn stand shouted. Sirius had forgotten where they were for a moment. He stepped forward to take the large bucket, thanked the man, and led Severus to a nearby bench.

"How did you know that about Mr. Potter and Riddle?" Sirius asked. He believed Slytherins were liars among other things, but decided to keep his opinions to himself, especially since they were being challenged.

"His name kept popping up when I was going through the history of the school; he was head boy, Quidditch captain, and he won a bunch of awards, so I asked Dumbledore about him. Dumbledore didn't tell me much, but mentioned that he and Mr. Potter were constantly at each other's throats. I looked up what had happened to him and found a picture of him being arrested, by Mr. Potter nonetheless."

"Wow," Sirius said, absentmindedly shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth, "James never told me about that."

"That's surprising. I would have thought he'd love bragging about his dad arresting the 'big bad Slytherin monster.'"

"You don't know everything there is to know about him," Sirius said, "and neither do I." He sighed and took another large handful of popcorn. It was delicious; the perfect blend of sweet and salty. One of the kernels chose that moment to go down the wrong windpipe, which resulted in him almost coughing out a lung. Severus patted him on the back and handed over a bottle of water.

"Thanks," he said, when he could breathe again.

"Don't mention it. There were too many witnesses around for me to let you die."

Sirius was insulted for a moment, then realized that it had been a joke. "You're not as funny as you think you are."

"Oh no, my fiancé doesn't approve of me! Excuse me while I die of heartbreak."

"Seriously, stop. You're embarrassing me."

"Fine," Severus said, leaning back and exposing his neck to the sun. For someone who was so pale during the school year, he had picked up quite the tan. "Let's talk about something else, all this house rivalry talk is depressing."

"Well you seem to know a lot about the school," Sirius said, "how many of its secrets have you discovered?"

"I assume you mean the building and not things about people."

"I did, but now I'm much more interested in what you know about people. Who do you have stuff on? Do you have anything on me?"

"My lips are sealed. I'm saving my knowledge for blackmail purposes. But you're the one who's always sneaking around; you must have uncovered all the secret passageways by now."

"I like to think that we've gotten most of them," Sirius admitted. He could talk about secret passageways and rooms, but there was no way he would ever tell Severus about the map.

"I'm listening."

"What makes you think I'm telling you?" Sirius joked.

"Well," Severus rolled the word around his tongue, "I happen to know of an amazing room you have probably never heard of."

"Really? That's unlikely. We spent the first four years using revealing spells on every wall."

"So you know about the Room of Requirement?"

"What?"

"It's what the house-elves call it."

"Now I'm listening."

"Nope, you go first."

"How do I know you won't refuse to tell me after?" Sirius asked, although he didn't think Severus would really refuse him the knowledge.

"OK, after you tell me all about whatever you tell me, I will either tell you about the Room of Requirement or…" he trailed off, looking at Sirius for a suggestion.

"Kiss me," Sirius blurted, before he could stop himself.

"Haven't we already done that," Severus rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but only for the benefit of other people. This would be our first real kiss."

"Fine," Severus agreed, "I'll kiss you if I don't tell you about the room. But I hope you realize that the kiss is never going to happen."

"Whatever," Sirius said, tossing the now empty popcorn bucket into a nearby trashcan. "So far, we've discovered three ways out of the castle—that Filch doesn't know about. One is through the Whomping Willow, although I highly recommend you stay away from there. There's also a mirror behind-"

"I know about the mirror," Severus interrupted, now almost pressed against him. The subject of their conversation—a magical school in Scotland—made it necessary for them to be as close and as quiet as possible. At least that's what Sirius had convinced himself.

"Okay, there's a statue of a one-eyed witch on the third floor. It leads straight to the basement of Honeydukes. I'll show it to you sometime. Now will you tell me about the room of requirement?"

"I guess I have to if I don't want to kiss you," Severus said with a sigh. "It's on the seventh floor, across the hall from the picture of Barnabas the Barmy. You have to walk in front of it three times thinking about what you need, and the door will appear."

"Are you joshing me?"

"Did you really just use the word 'joshing?' And no, the room really works that way."

"How did you find out about it?"

"The same way you found out about the secret passageways I suppose. Come to think of it, how did you get that close to the Whomping Willow?"

"I'd love to tell you," Sirius said honestly, "but I'd rather not risk you going through." If Remus didn't need the Shrieking Shack to transform he would have told Severus everything he knew. His loyalty remained to his friends however.

"Fine, shall we get going?"

"Alright," Sirius said, standing up. "Where to now?"

"Have you ever stayed upside down for thirty seconds?"

"No," Sirius told him, "and I'm not sure I want to. Is it safe?"

"As safe as anything else here." That didn't make him feel better.

"Do you mind if we avoid rides for the rest of our time here?"

Severus gave him a shallow smile. "So you're afraid of carnival rides. Now we both know what the other is afraid of." Actually, Sirius's biggest fear was being attacked by Remus in wolf form, but he wasn't going to tell Severus that. "There's a fun house around here that you'd probably love."

Sirius let Severus lead the way again, since the boy had been coming here almost every summer his whole life. "So what kind of stuff do you like? Besides carnivals that is," Sirius asked.

"The same as anyone our age I guess. I'm really into music, art, and reading. I think you already knew that though."

"Yeah," Sirius laughed, "I would have to be a complete idiot not to realize that. I've never heard of most of the books and CDs you have though."

"That's because they were made by muggles."

"Seriously? I never would have guessed that you-"

"Like I said, you don't know as much about Slytherins as you think you do. We love muggle music more than wizards'. Our world only has eight instruments for Merlin's sake!" That was true. Sirius realized that he had never really gotten into music before. Maybe Severus could introduce him to something he liked.

"You've got to stop telling me all these wonderful things about yourself," Sirius said, not joking at all. "Tell me something horrible so I can hate you again."

"Like what?"

"I don't know; say you're high maintenance, or you have a drinking problem."

"Alright, I'm high maintenance and I have a drinking problem."

"Very mature," Sirius remarked, "but seriously, is there anything about you that isn't completely wonderful?"

"Yes," Severus said immediately. "I dislike most Gryffindors and I'm not in love with my fiancé, who happens to be a Gryffindor."

"Thanks," Sirius said sarcastically. Truthfully, Severus's comment had helped bring him back to the real world. He knew they would never be in love. After ten years he would find some headstrong Gryffindor girl with long blonde hair, who would know how to cook and enjoy pranks as much as he did. Somewhere out there was a girl who could pull pranks, who would know how to take care of him, and who abhorred anything remotely Slytherin. And Severus would find some bloke, probably in a dark alley, with his head shoved up his arse that would agree with all those pureblood ideals and know what the difference between a salad fork and fish fork was.

_But Severus is different_, his conscience reminded him. Severus liked art and history and wanted to volunteer around the world. Severus knew how to execute a five course dinner, not that he would for him, and be named host of the year. Severus could smile and flash his eyes and get whatever he wanted. Most importantly, Severus was the one wearing a ring on his finger, and would be for the next decade.

"Don't tell me you're chickening out of the fun house now," Severus said exasperatedly. Sirius looked up and realized that they were almost in front of the 'fun house' and that he had been silent for a long while.

"Sorry, I zoned out a bit there," he replied, giving the temporary building a once over. "The fun house looks…fun," he finished lamely. Severus snorted and grabbed his hand again, making Sirius feel warm to the core. There weren't sparks when they touched, and his hand didn't tingle, but at least he didn't feel like he was touching a corpse.

The entrance to the building wasn't that inspiring. The walls were composed of planks of wood nailed together, and purple paint had been splattered at various intervals to liven it up. The face of an old man glared at them from above the door as they entered. Sirius was sure the picture's eyes had moved, even though he knew it was a muggle carnival. As they passed through the door—or rather the red painted door frame—Severus dropped his hand and began to walk a couple of steps ahead of him. They approached the inside cautiously, Severus because he appeared to be waiting for something and Sirius because he didn't know what to expect.

Although they were only two feet into the place Sirius found he was rather bored. They were walking along a plain wooden hallway with no doors, though they were approaching some plain wooden stairs. Nothing decorated the hall but old portraits. He knew he hadn't imagined the eye movements on the picture outside, for these were watching him too. It would have been creepy had he not been a wizard and accustomed to moving paintings. All of a sudden he felt the floor drop and grabbed Severus, who had placed a hand on the wall. They had only dropped down about three inches. Satisfied that they weren't going to go plunging to their deaths he unwrapped his arms from around Severus's waist.

"You actually like that?" Sirius exclaimed.

"Just relax; it's kind of like Hogwarts when you start to think about it."

"How is this ridiculous muggle contraption anything like Hogwarts?"

"Trick stairs, revolving walls, people jumping out at you from behind suits of armor…."

"OK, but Hogwarts is still much safer." Severus didn't respond to that comment, but probably would have if he hadn't just disappeared behind a wall. Sirius took a few cautious steps forward, not trusting the ground to stay steady beneath him, then reached forward. His fingertips brushed against something wispy and veil-like, and the next thing he knew he was being pulled forward. He was so shocked he forgot to scream.

Not screaming turned out to be a good thing, for the hand that grabbed him had been Severus's.

"This way, I want to show you something," Severus said as the two walked through the seemingly abandoned 'house.' Sirius found it odd that they hadn't run into anyone else yet and voiced his concerns.

"They time our entry so that we don't run into anyone else for a little while," Severus explained. "And we aren't technically supposed to be here, I discovered that wall was fake a couple of years ago. I think it's so emergency crews can get in and out without triggering any of the house's mechanisms."

Before Sirius could make a remark on why emergency crews would need to get into the house, Severus had led him through another fake wall and they were back in the public part of the house. Only, it didn't seem like the place they had been standing in moments ago.

Gone were the narrow hallway, fake webs, and portraits with moving eyes. Instead they were surrounded by an indoor garden. A stone fountain sat in the center of the room, and bushes, some of which had been cut in the shapes of animals, lined the walls. It looked like a pretty normal garden, except for the fact that it was indoors and a few gravestones littered the area. The stones listed various ridiculous names, like 'Frank N. Stein,' and a few of them were even moving. Severus ignored all of that and walked forward to sit on the edge of the fountain.

"I'm beginning to think you have an obsession with these things," Sirius said, gesturing at the fountain.

Severus shrugged, "They're absolutely gorgeous, no matter what they depict." Sirius leaned closer to discover that the fountain in this room showed rather grotesque images of vampires, werewolves, and other dark creatures that muggles believed in. He took a few steps forward and, much to his chagrin, slipped several inches downward after stepping on a grave. As if that wasn't bad enough, a hand reached out and grabbed him around the ankle, causing him to shout and Severus to laugh hysterically.

"It's not funny," Sirius practically spat, "I could have been hurt."

Severus sobered up immediately. "And yet it's perfectly okay for you and your friends to torture me at school the way you do, isn't it?"

"That's different," Sirius argued. "What we do is…" he trailed off, realizing that what he did to Severus at school was much worse. Severus could have been seriously injured, perhaps even killed, in some of their stunts; and yet, everyone always laughed and congratulated them on a job well done. "You're right," he admitted, "and I'm sorry." Severus scoffed.

"You don't have to accept it, but I really do mean it."

The two wandered through the house in silence after that. Sirius still followed Severus's lead, but he suspected Severus was taking the shortest way out of the house. He couldn't say he blamed the guy though.

"I think I want to go home now," Severus mumbled as soon as the bright sunlight hit their faces. Sirius almost didn't hear him as he was busy adjusting to the sudden change.

"Alright, if you really want to," Sirius commented. He placed a hand on Severus's shoulder, and then began to lead him out of the park.

"Not that way," Severus muttered.

"Why not?"

"We're about to walk past the-"

"Oh, what do I have here?" a shrill female voice uttered from Sirius's right. He turned to see a borderline anorexic woman, probably in her fifties, wearing ridiculous red robes embroidered with purple and a matching turban. She had heavy makeup caked on her face, but that didn't hide the moles on her chin or the wrinkles at the corners of her mouth and eyes.

"Excuse me ma'am, we were in the middle of a discussion," Sirius told her as firmly as he could. He then turned to Severus. "What were you trying to say?"

"I was going to say 'annoying fortune teller' but you led us right into that one," Severus muttered again, giving the woman a glare usually reserved for the Marauders.

"Come this way you two," she called, although she didn't give them much of a choice as she had sidled up between them and grasped the arms. "I am Madame Zaina, and I am honored to possess 'the sight.' It's a gift in my family, given to me by my mother and her mother before her. Come, see what the future has in store for you!"

"I already know what the future has in store for me;" Severus said quite loudly, "a life full of simpering and groveling to my royal husband, otherwise known as the ass attached to my right side."

"Ah young lovers!" Madam Zaina, if that was her real name, exclaimed. "I've got the perfect thing for you. Sit down right here," she shoved down on their shoulders until they were seated on a bench in front of her stand, "and we'll get started right away!"

The fortune teller's stall was as brightly colored and glittery as the rest of the carnival. Colored cloths were draped over a wooden backdrop, and a flashing sign announced the service being provided. They might have saved on their electricity bill though, for the giant crystal ball on the table and multiple decks of tarot cards were enough to make Madame Zaina's trade obvious.

"Now, I can read palms, tarot cards, or even see the future through my crystal. I think the last choice would be best for you dearies."

"I'm sure you're great at your job," Sirius interjected, "but we were just on our way out."

"Nonsense!" Madame Zaina exclaimed, looking a bit affronted. "No visit to a carnival is complete without a visit to me. In fact, I suspect people come to these things just to have their fortune told."

"Of course not!" Severus said, frustration blazing over his features. "Who wouldn't want to waste their money on a poorly disguised fraud?"

"A disbeliever!" Madame Zaina thrust her hand over her chest. "Don't you worry, I can prove to you that my gift is as accurate and honest as anyone else's."

"No need," Severus said.

"Oh, but I do enjoy a challenge! I can tell that the two of you are together. You are both also very wealthy," Madame Zaina appraised the clothes they wore as she said the last part. Sirius didn't like the greedy look in her eyes.

"My crystal," she paused and appeared to be staring deep within the glass bulb, "tells me that the two of you are on your way to living 'happily ever after.' However," she raised her head and leaned forward, eyes wide with anticipation, "you will have many challenges to overcome before you can achieve this happiness. The spirits do not wish me to reveal more, but I will say this: you two will make it in the end."

Severus gave an ungrateful snort and stood; he didn't bother to spare the fortune teller a glance as he stalked off. Sirius gave her an apologetic look then raced after his fiancé; only pretending to be oblivious to her entreats to leave a decent tip for her valuable information. He found Severus sitting on the fountain they had first seen when entering the park.

"Hey, don't worry about that. It was obviously more bull than anything Professor Shrouder has ever told us."

"I know," Severus said softly, looking into Sirius's eyes for the first time since their fight in the haunted house. Sirius forgot to breath for a moment as he stared into the sea of clashing blues and violets. "Let's get back to the car."

"Here," Sirius said, offering Severus his hand. Severus stood and took a few steps on his own, but appeared to change his mind as he turned around and linked his arm with Sirius. The two walked through the turnstiles together, and Severus even waved at the conservative woman who had sold them their tickets.

"How was your outing sir?" Geoffrey asked as they approached the car. Sirius managed a smile and Severus uttered a subdued "fine" before Geoffrey decided to let the two be and simply opened the doors for them. He concerned glances didn't go unnoticed by Sirius, but the boy decided to give the man no further details.

"Geoffrey," Sirius called after he was firmly seated, "could you put the screen up please? I want to talk to Severus alone."

"Certainly sir," Geoffrey said, suspicion apparent in his voice. Sirius figured he had heard about the incident in the exercise room from another servant, probably one of the maids, as they were always gossiping about the well-to-dos.

Nevertheless, the chauffeur did raise the screen. Sirius waited until it was fully raised before turning to Severus.

"I know it didn't end well, but I hope you enjoyed today." Sirius told him.

"It was fine. And it's not your fault any of this is happening, I blame my parents."

"I do too," Sirius agreed vehemently, "but that doesn't mean we can't try to make the best of it. Ten years is a long time, and I want things to go as smoothly as possible."

"So you are just planning on sticking around for the ten years," Severus said wryly, as if he were confirming it for himself.

"Well yes," Sirius said, unsure about whether he was setting himself up again, "aren't you?"

"I would love to only be married to you for the minimal amount of time. But did you ever consider the fact that we're supposed to have a child? A male child, which means that if we have a girl first we have to keep producing?"

"Yes, but I assumed you would want to take care of them," Sirius stated bluntly.

"So you're going to be nonexistent around the house for ten years, stopping by only for formal events and to screw me every once in a while, and then you're going to take off and leave me with nothing to show for the past decade but however many kids we end up having?"

"What? No, that's not what I meant!" Sirius said hurriedly, confused because that was exactly what he had been thinking. He just hadn't realized it sounded that bad.

"What did you mean?"

"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it in detail. I thought you wanted to be rid of me as soon as possible. Can we just pretend this conversation never happened, and talk about it some other time?"

"Sure," Severus said sarcastically, "we have a decade to talk about it. Why not do so while I'm in labor?"

"Severus, stop!" Sirius pleaded frantically. He did not want to have to apologize again. "Let's not ruin a semi-great evening. Just talk about something else."

"Like what? You're inability to commit even when not doing so-"

"I said something else!" Sirius roared. He was getting worked up now, no doubt more than Severus had been. Why didn't the other boy understand that he had his whole life ahead of him and couldn't let anything get in the way of his future, even ten years in a forced marriage?

Severus glanced wearily at him; then turned to face the window. It was getting dark outside by this time, so there wasn't much to see. Sirius felt bad about yelling, especially when he saw a tell-tale shake of Severus's shoulders.

"Are you crying?" Sirius asked. "Severus, I didn't mean to upset you, I'm just feeling the same way you probably are about things now."

"I'm not crying," Severus remarked, although the hand nearest the window came up to brush at his face. "You're right; we'll talk about something else."

"Thank you," Sirius said, unsure of what exactly had occurred. It felt like there was much more going on than what he had processed. "Um," he faltered, "what's it like being in Slytherin?" Even as the words came out of his mouth, he couldn't help but curse himself for that being the first thing to come to mind. Talking about their rival houses surely wouldn't keep them from fighting.

"It's great actually," Severus said in a crystal clear voice. It was one that he might use on a new acquaintance, not the person you were supposed to marry.

"Great how?" Sirius said, kicking himself again for making it sound like an insult. Severus didn't seem to take offense though.

"My friends are really amazing, we've made a lot of memories together. And Professor Slughorn is really reliable. Even though the rest of the school is so blatantly against us, maybe because they're against us, we're all really close. They're my family away from home, even the first years."

"I always assumed there'd be a lot of fighting going on," Sirius admitted sheepishly. He couldn't say that the Gryffindors were that dear to him. His select few friends were, but the rest he tended to ignore unless it was to demonstrate a prank or Quidditch stunt. He couldn't even recognize some of the people in his house sometimes.

"We fight as much as the other houses do I guess, although I blame that on teenage hormones and the need to show each other up. Isn't it like that in Gryffindor?"

"Not at all. We tend to only have a few close friends and ignore everyone else."

"But you guys all seem so close to the rest of the school!" Sirius could tell that Severus was genuinely shocked by this news.

"We just defend our own in public. It's a pride thing. Plus we figure that if someone attacks one person from our house and gets away with it they're only going to attack another."

"I'll keep that in mind next time I'm terrorizing my students."

"Your students?" Sirius was confused. He knew that teachers sometimes took on apprentices, but he was pretty sure you had to be at least twenty to get one.

"I tutor first through third years in potions, defense, arithmancy, and Runes. Most of them probably have learning disorders that have gone undiagnosed by our archaic wizarding system. I love doing it though, I love being the one to make them understand something when no one else can."

"Wow," Sirius breathed, "that's remarkable."

"Not really," Severus told him, "I'm not really doing much. I just explain things in simpler ways for them."

"But you're still helping them."

"I guess," Severus said, still looking unsure.

"Severus," Sirius started, "you are an amazing person. You need to stop doubting yourself. I'm sorry I didn't see it during the past six years, but now I realize how kind hearted, talented, intelligent, and beautiful you are."

"It sounds like you're proposing."

"Don't worry I'm not," Sirius remarked dryly. "But you really do need to take a good look at yourself. You can do a lot of good. I'm really sorry this marriage is going to slow you down."

"Why would this marriage slow me down?" Severus asked, the anger from before seeping out from his eyes. "Are you planning on having me act like a traditional pureblood wife? You expect me to have no job, no education, no duties at all for the next ten years besides looking pretty and having children?"

"Not at all! I want you to be as successful as possible!"

"That's not what you're implying!"

"I don't think I'm implying anything! This marriage is preventing us from fulfilling our dreams and you know it!"

"Unless your dream is to have sex with everyone in Europe, which it probably is, I highly doubt that being married to me is going to hinder you in any way. Sure, you won't be able to search for 'the one' for another decade, but you can do everything else! If anyone's giving up on their dreams it's going to be me!"

"That's not fair, we're in the same position!" Sirius almost screamed. A subtle knock on the door brought him out of his rant.

"We're at the manor," Geoffrey said, looking down at Sirius coldly while sending Severus worried looks. He appeared to be searching for something specific every time he glanced at Severus.

"Thank you Geoffrey, we can get out on our own," Sirius told the man.

"Of course," he nodded. That didn't stop him from walking to the other side of the car and holding the door open for Severus. "Is everything alright sir?" he asked the tall Slytherin softly.

"Yes Geoffrey, we're all right. Just a typical 'lover's quarrel' for us," the boy replied.

Damage, Sirius realized, was what the chauffeur had been looking for. He expected Sirius to strike the boy, which, although not an unfounded belief, hurt him deeply. "Thank you Geoffrey," he said, "have a good night."

Sirius linked arms with Severus and escorted his fiancé up the stairs. "This was a pretty good first date don't you think?" he asked jokingly.

Severus froze as he reached for the door. "Date? Is that what you thought this was?"

"Well, not like a date-date, but a date between two people who are going to be married."

"You haven't realized it yet, have you?" Severus asked sadly.

"Realized what?" Sirius questioned back, feeling awkward for having to have Severus explain things so many times in one day.

"You hold power over me in this relationship. I basically have to do everything you tell me to, unless it can lead to severe injury or something. That's why this marriage is worse for me than it is you, because you can stop me from doing what I want or tell me to do something I'd rather not."

"Wow," Sirius said, now in front of the door. "That's a lot to process. I'm not so sure I want that much power over you." The front doors were opened, letting the two in, although Sirius wasn't paying that much attention to his surroundings.

"You will once you realize how much fun control can be. Guys like you are always like that."

"Guys like me?" Sirius questioned. "What does that mean? And I promise, I don't want to control your life like that."

"Don't you?" Severus shot back, but the anger was gone from his face. Instead he looked sad, so incredibly sad, and Sirius could only think of one other time he had seen the boy like that.

"Did Derrick have some sort of power over you? He abused it and hurt you didn't he?" Sirius thought, his mind racing through everyone he knew at Hogwarts, trying to figure out who 'Derrick' could be.

"I can't believe you," Severus said with a scoff. He took a few steps towards the stairs, then turned around and slapped Sirius so hard it was sure to leave a mark. Severus took off up the stairs, presumably to either their room or Francesco's; Sirius stood at the base of the stairs, rubbing his cheek. It appeared he had a lot more to apologize for. But he also had to find out who this Derrick person was and what he had done to Severus.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: I'm just going to stop apologizing for long waits. I go back to school next week, but I'll try to get another chapter up before then. I feel bad for leaving this for so long though.

WARNING: There is some sensitive material in this chapter, relating to abuse. The topic will come up again later on in the story, but it will never be mentioned as much as it is in this chapter.

Chapter Eleven

After staring up the stairs where Severus had disappeared for ten minutes, Sirius finally snapped himself out of his trance. Determined to make things right without adult intervention he marched to the kitchen, pried open the freezer, and pulled out a giant box of cookie dough. He could prove that he was a great listener at the very least, which might prove that he was interested in having an actual relationship. Hell, Severus was probably smart enough to realize that the cookie dough was a declaration of him not wanting to have power over the boy. After exiting the kitchen he smacked himself on the forehead and turned around. He had forgotten the spoon. Did Severus even use a spoon for cookie dough? Probably…but did he use a bowl? Sirius decided to forgo the bowl, like he had seen many chicks do after a bad breakup at Hogwarts, and grabbed two spoons, just in case Severus was in the mood to share.

Sirius cautiously climbed the stairs, hoping that Severus was in the room they shared. The door was slightly ajar, when he was sure they had left it locked, leaving him hopeful. He rapped on the doorframe as he pushed the door open and stuck his head in.

Severus was indeed there. In the ten or fifteen minutes it had taken Sirius to come up the other boy had changed into his pajamas and was sitting on a chair by the far window. For a moment all the words Sirius had thought of when climbing the stairs, all variations of "I'm sorry, please forgive me," flew out of his head and thoughts of the young man seated before him flew in. Sirius had stopped denying Severus had a nice body, and exceptionally nice legs. But the image of his fiancé in, what seemed to him were, incredibly small shorts and a silk pajama top, with a bath robe that exposed just enough of what was hiding underneath still left him breathless. Severus's shoulder-length hair lay open, as it had all day, and seemed more beautiful than it ever had before. His pale skin highlighted the red lips he must have been biting on. And those mysterious eyes…the shone with the remnants of tears that had recently been shed.

Sirius shook his head, berating himself for narrating like a Shakespearean play, and entered the room, holding his peace offering behind his back. When he got closer to Severus, close enough to see the two tears that still clung to the boy's face; he got on his knees and held the container out before him.

"Oh beautiful creature of my dreams," he declared, deciding to go with the Shakespearean thing since he had found quite a collection of the Bard's works in the house. "I bring you this cookie dough as a symbol of my sincerest apology, and ask that you accept me back as your humble slave."

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Sirius thought he saw Severus's lips curve upwards. He shuffled forward so that his torso touched Severus's knees, looked his fiancé in the eye, and offered up the sweetest puppy-dog face he could manage. He was rewarded when Severus rolled his eyes gestured to the nearest seat on the bed, which he gratefully took.

"I am so sorry for everything I've ever done to hurt you," Sirius started. The grown-up part of him had decided it was time to make his real apology. "I know I'm an idiot, and will probably do a lot of stupid stuff in the future, but I don't want you to feel obligated to do anything because of me. We can both live our lives while being part of each other's."

He looked at Severus to see if his words were sinking in. The boy was watching him intently, though not revealing what he really thought or felt about the apology. So Sirius continued.

"What I did to you the other day was wrong and I promise it will never happen again. For the next ten years, I will be everything need and I will try to be everything you want. I promise to take care of you like our parents planned. If you there's ever anything you need me to know you can tell me and I won't treat you any worse. I can't promise to love you, but I can promise to be there for you during our ten years together."

"The only way you can make this up to me is by forgetting everything about Derrick. I never want you to bring him up again," Severus finally said.

"I would do that for you then. I'll never talk about him, ever," Sirius promised vigorously.

"That's a good start, but I don't want you to think about him either."

"I don't know if that's possible," Sirius admitted. "Every time you reference some horrible relationship from the past he's going to pop into my head. I'll always have questions, but I can promise not to let you or anyone else know it."

"Then how about a memory charm?" Severus proposed. Sirius searched his face but saw no hint of a jest. He closed his eyes and thought about it for a moment, inhaling and exhaling as slowly as possible. He could feel Severus leaning forward, intent on finding out how much of his rant Sirius actually meant.

"If it's what you want," Sirius finally said, "I'm willing to go through with it. Right now if you want." He thought it would be best to get it over with if he was going to lose his sanity, even though he'd never get the chance to say goodbye to his friends before it happened.

"I'll go get Francesco," Severus announced after a short pause. Sirius sat back on the bed and watched the perfect figure exit the room. He threw his head back on the pillow, for once not pausing to note how it smelled like Severus, and pondered what he had just agreed to. He supposed he could always change his mind before the spell, but knew that there was no way he would have a decent ten years without it.

"What's all this about a memory charm?" Francesco said, announcing his presence.

"We need you to obliviate Sirius," Severus explained, glancing nervously between his brother and fiancé, "just everything that happened yesterday." Sirius sat there, blankly nodding in agreement.

Francesco, still half asleep until this point, eyed them strangely. "Memory charms are tricky. Even the most experienced caster has no clue how it will affect the person they cast it on."

"You cast one on that security guard last year and he seemed perfectly fine." Severus remarked dryly. Sirius quickly realized that Severus was attempting to blackmail his own brother. He was a Slytherin through and through.

Francesco eyed the two suspiciously, probably weighing the consequences of his actions. Sirius could tell he had plenty of questions, but Francesco was clever enough to keep them to himself.

"You do realize I'm not qualified to do this?" Francesco asked, aiming his question at Sirius this time.

"I know," Sirius said, "but it's a risk I have to take." Looking at Severus, he could see that they had reached a new understanding, one that hopefully wouldn't be destroyed by the memory spell. A nod from Francesco prompted Sirius to stand and close his eyes, readying himself for what was to come.

"Obliviate," Francesco whispered.

Sirius, with his eyes closed, couldn't tell exactly what was happening; but he felt a pair of long-fingered hands pull him to the side. He heard something collapsing to his left and Francesco swearing. The hands that had saved him were still tightly grasped around his upper arms. He cautiously opened his eyes and saw Francesco stomping around the room, shouting in Italian without pausing for air. The room itself was coated in a layer of white dust, which could only have come from the hole in the wall Sirius had previously been standing in front of. The fact that it could have been insides covering the room instead of plaster hit him hard. He turned to face Severus, who had gone completely pale, his eyes wide in shock.

"You," Sirius paused. The words seemed hard enough to say without the dust particles practically choking him. "You saved me. You saved my life."

Severus didn't respond. In fact, he looked like he wouldn't be responding to anything for a long while. Sirius didn't think he should mention Severus's fingers, still on his arms and beginning to draw blood. Francesco was the first to come to his senses.

"I'm going to go get dad," he told the couple. "You two better get your story straight and come up with a good excuse for why this," he gestured at the room, "was a good idea." With that, Francesco left them standing alone and gaping at the debris around them. Severus came out of his trance the moment Francesco left.

"I am so sorry," were the first words out of his mouth. "I didn't think you would agree, I thought you would jump out of the way or defend yourself or something."

"I gave you my word," Sirius replied, "I promised I would try to make the next ten years work and that's what I'm going to do. I already screwed up by reading your journal, I'm not going to lie to you or mislead you after that."

"I'm sorry," Severus repeated, "I'm sorry, it wasn't right for me to do this. It wasn't right for me to test you like that."

"You didn't make me go through with it though; you saved my life. That proves that at least some small part of you wants to make this work too."

"But why would you go through with that?" Severus asked, clearly frustrated and confused.

"I don't know if I can tell you that."

"Twenty questions, remember? Why did you agree to have your memory wiped; you even knew Francesco wasn't great with memory charms."

"I really don't know myself," Sirius whispered. "I guess that I wanted to prove myself to you; every time you talk to me, every time you look at me, I can tell that you're holding back. It's because you don't trust me, and if you did things would run so much more smoothly."

"I can't—I don't know what to say."

"Tell me why you saved me."

"Is that one of your questions?"

"Yes, it is." Sirius looked Severus in the eyes, attempting to see more than the façade his fiancé put up.

Severus was silent for a short moment before continuing. "I don't know why either. But you didn't deserve it. You've never tried to make me prove myself to you. You've been trying to get along for the most part, and I should have just told you not to pry instead of asking you to…you know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Sirius assured him, "you can stop apologizing. Let's just put this behind us, stop being sappy, and agree to try to get along."

Sirius didn't know if Severus was going to respond, though he hoped the other boy would agree with him, but Vito burst in at that moment looking frazzled and, understandably, a bit tired.

"What happened in here?" Vito asked. He was glaring at Sirius as he spoke, and Sirius realized that the incident in the gym had not been forgotten.

"It was my fault," Severus said. "I was mad at Sirius for digging through my things so I asked him to be obliviated. He agreed and Francesco's spell went wrong."

"Are you sure?" Vito asked, fixing Severus with a hard stare. When Severus met his gaze and nodded Vito let out a sigh. "That was incredibly immature of you. He could have been injured!" Vito looked between the two of them. "I realize that I can't tell you how to interact with each other, but I do hope you are done causing each other harm. This arrangement is a contract that can't be broken and the two of you will have to put up with each other for the next ten years."

Sirius glanced at his fiancé, hoping the other boy would see reason coming from Vito's mouth if he hadn't from Sirius's own.

Vito continued: "The two of you will stay in one of the guest rooms until this can be repaired, which may take weeks. If the two of you ever cause so much damage again you'll be moving into a house of your own immediately."

Feeling ashamed of himself for causing his future father-in-law so much stress, yet proud for the advancement his relationship with Severus had made, Sirius simply nodded and allowed Vito to usher him into the hall.

"You'll be staying in the room at the end of the hall on the second floor," Vito informed them. "Get there now, and don't dally. It's the middle of the night and I don't want to see or hear either of you until morning."

Sirius and Severus set off for the guest room without a word. They didn't speak to each other until the door to their temporary bedroom was closed.

"I need to tell you something," Severus blurted out, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. The room was very warm and welcoming, much like the Gryffindor common room, and was painted in similar shades of gold and red.

"Of course," Sirius said, surprised by Severus's sudden forwardness.

Severus fidgeted with the tassels at the end of the bedspread as he spoke, and his eyes darted everywhere except Sirius's face. "What did your parents tell you about why we're engaged?"

Sirius thought for a moment, going back to the moment when the engagement was announced and every moment spent with his parents since then. "They didn't really tell me anything. I thought it had something to do with both of us being purebloods and our fathers wanting to do business together." Severus snorted, but quickly tried to cover it up with another question.

"How much did you read about Derrick?"

"Not much. I just saw the name and know he hurt you, so I'm guessing he was an old boyfriend or something. What does he have to do with us being engaged?"

"Everything," Severus responded. Sirius felt a sense of trepidation as he took a seat on the bed near Severus, but kept enough distance between them so he could tell himself they weren't sitting together. He leaned back against a pillow and listened to Severus tell his story.

"Last summer, I met Derrick at this party thrown by my father's business associate. It was one of those parties where no one really liked each other, but everyone wanted to make connections and prove they were better than everyone else. I hadn't wanted to go, but I was playing the part of the perfect son.

"Derrick was just entering the world of upper class purebloods. His parents had been nobodies, they pushed paper at the ministry and worked until they died. His father died when he was seven and his mother when he was eighteen; he had been born when they were pretty old, but he blamed their deaths on the common lifestyle they had led. He was only a few years older than us, but he had already begun to make something of himself. He was at that party as a guest of one of the other well-to-dos, he was a rising star in that man's company. At the age of twenty-two he was already making millions of galleons. But Derrick was smart; he knew that he needed more than money to make it in our crowd. He needed to be a member of one of the noblest bloodlines.

"I think he came to that party looking for someone to open the door to the elite for him. And I was the person stupid enough to do that. He came over and started talking to me; not about my parents or stuff my parents had told everyone but about me. That's what made him stand out. I introduced him to my father after ten minutes of conversation. That is how much of an idiot I was. He exchanged information with my father and received an invitation to dine at our home. I was thrilled, because I would get to see him again.

"After that first dinner, Derrick seemed to be everywhere. He would come by our home for short visits every now and then. We would run into him at the club, or while out shopping or getting something to eat. Looking back, I realize that running into him at least twice a week was no coincidence; he knew we would be there. But he had us all charmed, me especially. My parents and siblings adored him, and I had the biggest crush on him. After a month of being in our lives he asked my father if he could spend time with me alone.

"My father was hesitant at first; I was still in school and about six years younger than Derrick. But he agreed to let us go out as long as we were chaperoned by Geoffrey. I was…insane, I guess is the word. I hung on his every word, put more stock in his opinions and beliefs than my own, and I had already begun planning our wedding in my head! So when he took me by the hand, marched me over to my father, and asked if he could marry me I was ecstatic. My father was still hesitant, since we had only known each other two months and I was headed back to Hogwarts the next day, but he allowed it as long as we didn't get married until I was two years out of school."

Sirius frowned at this; he hadn't known Severus had been so serious with anyone else before. And it bothered him a little that he hadn't been Severus's first fiancé, even though he probably would be Severus's first husband. Severus didn't notice this, and continued with his story.

"The first few months were great. We wrote each other three times a week and got to know each other better. Then I took two days to respond to one of his letters and he sent me a howler. He said he expected me to be punctual when responding to him, and that he came above all my other obligations. He basically told me that he owned me. I was frightened, and ashamed, and a bunch of other things I can't even name. I wrote him back immediately, telling him I was sorry, begging for his forgiveness. He told me he would forgive me if I could convince my father to buy us a mansion. So I spoke to my father, without telling him any of this, and got him to agree to give us one of our ancestral homes as part of our marriage agreement. It was sort of like a dowry.

"But Derrick still wasn't satisfied. The mansion, which was worth more than he had in the bank, was too old, too small, too damp…I asked my father to gift us with a different home but he refused, he said it was the best one for us. Derrick was really angry with me after that. He refused to speak to me for two weeks, and I spent that time begging for forgiveness and asking if there was anything else I could do. I was so pathetic, but I didn't realize it then.

"Eventually we went back to our old habits of writing to each other all the time. I thought it was great; I thought I was doing something right and we were going to have a happy life together. I didn't notice that he was asking me about all of my friends, making me tell him what their histories were and how close I was to them. I didn't realize that he was paying extra attention to my grades and the things I told him I did.

"When I got home for winter vacation he was there to greet me. It was surprise arranged by my parents. We immediately went to my room to catch up. And the moment we were there…I didn't know he could…it was….just…. I closed the door, and I turned around to look at him. I didn't see how close he was to me, I didn't see him coming. He hit me. Hard, harder than my parents ever did when I was a child. He berated me for getting better grades in certain subjects than he did, because it made him look dumb. Then he called me stupid and brought up all the classes I had done worse in than him. He brought up my friends, insinuating that I was…cheating on him, when the thought had never crossed my mind. He threatened to leave me and marry one of my friends instead, and said that I would look horrible in front of my family if I drove him to that. And the worst of it was that I believed him. I sat there, on the ground since his punch had knocked me over, and I took it.

"I apologized for getting better marks than him and promised to study ten times harder for the classes I hadn't done as well in. I promised nothing was going on with me and anyone else, I pleaded with him to believe me and even swore not to ever speak to any of my friends again. I just sat there and reaffirmed the idea that he owned me; I let him know that I was no more than a possession, a piece of furniture or something, that he could use to get what he wanted. He just looked at me in disgust and walked away."

At this point, Sirius was so horrified with this Derrick that he couldn't help but lean over and cover Severus's hand with his own. No one deserved that kind of treatment. Even his parents, who he complained about constantly, had never treated him like that. And Severus wasn't even finished with the story.

"I cried myself to sleep that night, praying Derrick wouldn't tell my parents about any of this, and that he wouldn't leave me. I went over everything I had done wrong in my mind and thought up ways to fix them. The next morning Derrick came into my room, said he was sorry, and handed me a bag of makeup so my parents wouldn't know he had needed to hit me."

Severus paused here, he seemed to not want to go on. Sirius understood why, and wouldn't blame the other boy for stopping. But Severus continued.

"The next few months were like that. We would write each other letters while I was at school; he was always complaining about something and threating me, telling me I wasn't good enough, and I was always begging him to stay and promising to do better at whatever had sparked his ire that time. Over spring break he hit me, every single day. He made me buy makeup so that my family wouldn't notice, though he never left marks in any noticeable areas. He would punch or slap me, even pull my hair, every time we were alone together. And he made me—he made me do other stuff. He would hit me more if I didn't do what he asked.

"I never told anybody, but after spring break my roommates noticed the bruising. They all knew my parents, they knew they would never have done such a thing. They asked me about it but I told them I had taken too many hits from a bludger. I said I hadn't gotten them healed because I didn't think they were that big a deal. But they knew anyway. They wrote my parents immediately, telling them what they saw and what the suspected. My father came up to the school right away, pulled me out of herbology, and forced me to come with him to the hospital wing.

"I resisted at first. I told him the same story I had told my roommates, and said that they were just overreacting. But he pulled my shirt off and saw the bruises for myself. I expected him to be angry, and he was at first, but then he just looked sad. He even started crying. He started going on about how he felt so guilty, how all of this was his fault, and that he was so sorry. That's when I realized what an idiot I had been. I had let Derrick do all that stuff to me. Even though I wasn't guilty of all the things he accused me of I was guilty of that."

"Severus," Sirius cried out, now feeling incredibly guilty for every bad thing he had done to the other boy the past year, "he brainwashed you, you couldn't control what you thought at the time. It's not your fault!"

Severus just shook his head and held up a hand. Then he continued on with the story, a sad smile on his face. "My father broke off the engagement right away and reported Derrick to the authorities. There wasn't much they could do though. Derrick was put in prison for a month and then let out. I haven't heard from him since, no one has. Even though there weren't heavy legal repercussions my father made sure Derrick had no life to come back to. Derrick lost his job, his reputation, and most of his belongings thanks to my father announcing where Derrick's spare key was in the middle of Knockturn Alley.

"But I was tainted after that, at least in the eyes of most of the upper class population. They heard what happened to me and I became something to be pitied, someone to feel bad for, but not someone to continue a family line. Everyone except your parents wanted me to stay far away from their children, in case being pathetic was a contagious disease. Your parents realized that the only person in their society who would marry you would have to have no other options, thanks to your being in Gryffindor and turning your back on every value the Blacks held dear."

"I—that makes sense," Sirius said. It was the only thing he could say. It hadn't occurred to him that the reasons his parents chose Severus for him was because they wouldn't be able to find anyone better. It was kind of sad, really.

"We really are a perfect match," Severus laughed, though there was something extremely depressing about the way it sounded. "Nobody else wants either of us, and we don't even want each other!" At this point Severus was hunched over, his body shaking with laughter. It took Sirius a moment to figure out the quivering was because of tears instead. He awkwardly put an arm around his fiancé, patting him on the shoulder with the other. He didn't know what else to do.


End file.
